KR101695859B1 - Multi-beam forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-beam forming apparatus having the following features: A multi-beam forming apparatus (M-RET) according to the present invention includes: (M-RET) according to the present invention preferably includes at least one electric motor 23 for controlling the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) Beamforming device (M-RET) according to the present invention comprises at least one drive device with at least one first mechanical interface and / or at least one power supply (19) Or coupling points (25; 25a, 25b, 25c), wherein the coupling points (25; 25a, 27a, 27b, and 27c act on one of the drive connection portions 27a, 27b, and 25c, respectively, , The at least one driving device 23 of the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) according to the present invention is connected to the two or more mechanical interfaces and / or coupling points 23 'through a multi transmission 23' 25'a, 25'b, 25'c, in this case, through the at least one drive device 23 and the corresponding control device, a plurality of drive connections (25; 25a, 25b, 25c; 25 ' (25; 25a, 25b, 25c; 25 '; 25', 25a, 25b, 25c, 25c) can be actuated in the respective direction, 'a, 25'b, and 25'c are larger than the number of the driving devices 23.

Description

[0001] MULTI-BEAM FORMING DEVICE [0002]

The present invention relates to a multi-beam forming apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1.

The beam forming apparatus is used in mobile wireless communication technologies, in other words, mobile wireless communication base stations, to set the main source of a mobile wireless communication antenna differently for the angle of radiation. Depending on the radiation angle - also commonly referred to as "down tilt ", the associated mobile wireless communication cell may be illuminated with different magnitudes and set different sizes with it.

A typical RET-unit, i.e. a so-called "remote electrical tilt" -device, is known from WO 02/061877 A2, for example. However, not only can different down-tilt angles be set in the elevation direction by different settings of the phase shifter, for example, in the case of an antenna array having a plurality of gaps, For example, by using a phase shifter, the principal ray direction and the main source of the antenna apparatus with it may be set to a horizontal direction, and more specifically to a different azimuth angle. Finally, in addition to being able to align the direction of the principal ray of the antenna device differently in the altitude direction and / or the azimuth direction by means of the beam forming device, more specifically, in this case the half of the main ray lobe In order to be able to set the half power beam width differently, the light beam width may be set different not only in the azimuth direction but also in the altitude direction. Likewise, it is possible to perform settings for the mechanical angles of the antenna, that is, "roll", "pitch" and "yaw".

In other words, the previously known antennas are generally implemented so that a so-called RET-unit can be installed in the mechanical interface provided for such antennas (e.g. in the lower mounting flange of the antenna housing) and the RET- The unit also includes a motor in addition to the electronic device, wherein the electronic device controls the phase shifter integrated in the antenna through mechanical conversion. The phase change achieved by this approach has a direct effect on the ray characteristics, i.e. the down-tilt angle of the antenna.

The RET-unit can basically set the light beam characteristics of the multi-antenna apparatus to be different. In this case, the RET-motor converts the principal ray direction of the antenna into a vertical direction (i.e., a different down-tilt- Not only in the horizontal direction (i.e., in the elevation direction for setting) but also in the horizontal direction (i.e., in the azimuth direction) and also for setting the half lobe width of the main lobe.

In this regard, it is known that basically a control unit, a so-called RET-unit with a corresponding motor, can be arranged in the interior of the antenna device, more specifically in a radome. On the other hand, according to WO 02/061877 A2, a method has been proposed in which the above-mentioned RET unit is installed outside the radome, preferably under the mounting flange of the antenna device, It is possible to supplement the RET-unit as described above without opening the RET-unit.

In the case of a Site-Sharing-Scenario (in this case the location is allocated to the network operator) and a so-called Co-Siting-Scenario An operator manipulates a plurality of base stations in one location, and occasionally operates different mobile radio communication technologies or mobile radio communication technology), the number of cases in which a larger number of antennas are installed in each location is increasing. After the introduction of UMTS at the latest, the majority of the installed antennas will ultimately be replaced by a system that allows electronically controlling the light beam characteristics of the antenna. In this case, the RET-configuration described above is used which can be remotely controlled to set different angles of descent.

For these purposes, in general, several antenna manufacturers have created unique proprietary mechanical interfaces, and by such proprietary mechanical interfaces, so-called single- or multi-beam forming devices (actuators) Individual implementations may vary depending on the manufacturer.

The control side of the RET-actuator is specified in the AISG or 3GPP standard. Thus, the RET-actuators of the various antenna manufacturers can be controlled via the standardized interface by one control device. In order to meet the requirements of the single- and multi-RET actuators specified in the standard, two types of devices "Single-RET (device type 0x01)" and " 0x11) "is specified.

One possible variant of the multi-RET is provided, for example, in a single housing, wherein the housing is provided with multiple mechanical interfaces specific to the manufacturer. The multi-RET controls the light characteristics of the individual bands in a state controlled by one controller after being assembled in the corresponding multi-band antenna. However, such an embodiment is only possible or meaningful if the multi-mounted mechanical interface permits a situation in which the antenna can be operated by only one device.

In multi-band-antennas of other manufacturers, a solution for providing such a multi-RET within a single housing can not be implemented absolutely, and this fact is revealed in different embodiments of the mechanical interface. The mentioned interfaces may also be provided at different locations depending on the antenna type, as the case may be.

WO 2009/102775 A2 discloses a multi-beam forming device formed in the form of, for example, a multi-RET device, in which case the multi-beam forming device, for example in order to be able to control three separate antenna arrays, The beam forming apparatus has three setting axes which can be manually operated. In order to simplify the overall structure, a scheme of using one common control device for all three beam forming devices is proposed.

Furthermore, WO 2009/102774 A2 also discloses a multi-beam forming apparatus having corresponding input-output and output-axes for controlling the antenna apparatus. In this case, one possibility has been proposed in which the DC motor of the antenna device can be disengaged from the stator-setting shaft in order to be able to manually manipulate the stator-control button in an easier manner.

Thus, for each band, the multi-band-antennas are equipped with the "Single-Ret-Actuator" already mentioned earlier. Thus, the cost savings potential of the "antenna + RET" system as mentioned by the creator of the " multi-RET "(which can be implemented in only one housing) can not be used by each antenna manufacturer.

A homogeneous multi-beam forming device is known from WO 2009/102775 A2. The multi-beam forming apparatus includes three down-tilt-setting devices to be manually operated, for example, the down-tilt-setting devices each include one setting axis, Is provided on the plate, and has a setting wheel. Where individual down-tilt-angle settings can be made manually.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned problems in that when the number of antennas radiating in two or more bands is one or a plurality of antennas, Beam forming apparatus which can be set up in a simple and improved manner, an improved solution for a so-called multi-RET-apparatus. At this time, the formation of the beam is set differently, for example, in the vertical direction (in the altitude direction using the down-tilt-angle) and / or in the horizontal direction (in other words, in order to set the azimuth angle of the main lobe differently) For the purpose and / or generally for the purpose of modifying the beam characteristics in such a way that the half-value beam width of the main lobe of the antenna device can be set differently.

The above object is solved according to the features of claim 1 according to the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

Within the framework of the present invention, for example, a multi-band antenna that is suitable for a multi-band antenna (which transmits and / or receives in two or more frequency bands) or which has two or more antenna sectors, A solution is proposed which is suitable for a dual-sector-antenna structure (in which the down-tilt-angles of the antennas can be set differently) and much more favorable compared to the prior art. In other words, the beam forming apparatus according to the present invention can be used, for example, with a single drive unit (e.g., motor, actuator, etc.) and only one such electronic device, in particular a single microprocessor, RTI ID = 0.0 > RET-unit < / RTI > Such a so-called RET-device is used, for example, to set the down-tilt-angle differently, but also to set the azimuth differently, again in other words the main lobe in a different horizontal- Or generally abbreviated for a beam forming apparatus according to the present invention which makes it possible to radiate in different directions with respect to the vertical plane.

According to the present invention, for example, a mechanical interface device designed to drive two or more shaft-or-shaft connections in a dual-band-antenna structure or a dual-sector-antenna structure has been implemented, The end of said shaft-or shaft connection is connected to an associated setting-and / or transmitting device for changing the beam falling angle of the radiating device.

In this case, in the context of the present invention, at least one drive of the multi-beam forming device is connected to two or more mechanical interfaces and / or coupling points via a multi-transmission, The controller can operate at least one of the plurality of drive connections as desired. In this case, the present invention also originates from the fact that the number of interfaces and / or coupling points is greater than the number of drivers.

The preferred structure is a structure in which the individual antenna devices operating in the associated frequency bands and provided in the other sector-configuration can be controlled as intended only in time sequentially. Such a structure may be used to set the down-tilt-angle as intended for the individual frequency bands or for the individual sectors of the antenna and / or to set the azimuth as intended (or in addition to this, The shaft-and / or shaft connection between the mechanical interface device and the corresponding setting-and / or transferring device for setting the phase shifter is continuously and differently intended, as intended, to set the elevation angle or azimuth angle differently Can be set. In theory, all the axes or connections between the mechanical interface device and the phase shifter to be set correspondingly may be operated simultaneously. However, the precondition for such a possibility is that coupling that can be separately triggered elsewhere is provided, resulting in a down-tilt angle of the emitter provided in a particular sector of the antenna at all times or a down- Only the tilting-angle should be able to be set as intended and the other shafts or shafts should operate in an almost "idle" state, since the shifter disposed after it is not operated by opening the coupling Because.

The beam forming apparatus according to the present invention is also characterized in that the beam forming apparatus preferably has only one communication interface and through the communication interface the beam forming apparatus is controlled by a control device < RTI ID = 0.0 > The control device may be integrated into the corresponding base station, for example. Remote delivery is also possible from a remote location, for example via a base station or via wireless communications.

In one particularly preferred embodiment, the shaft or shafts consist of a so-called flexible shaft or shaft. By such a configuration, the mechanical interface of the beam forming device on one side and the mechanical interface connected to the antenna for actuating the setting-and-transmitting device provided on the mechanical interface for the purpose of establishing a phase shifter, on the one hand, Very flexible connections can be achieved.

However, shafts or shafts with cardan joints that allow equal flexibility in place of flexible shafts or shafts may also be used.

In addition, people may derive the power flow from multiple rigid shafts or axles and from additional gear stages (e.g., including gears to bevel gears) to any of the stator disposed in the antenna.

As already mentioned previously, the preferably flexibly formed shafts or shafts may be fixed to the mechanical interface in the delivery device of the associated antenna to actually actuate the transducer provided in the antenna housing through the delivery device. The flexible shaft or shafts may preferably be terminated in a so-called RET-coupling and the RET-couplings may be connected to a corresponding interface, for example a mobile radio communication antenna housing (radome), as well as conventional beam- To a flange that faces downwardly. However, in order to directly set the phase shifter directly in operation of the above-described flexible shaft or shaft, an arrangement in which the shaft or the axes extend directly to the phase shifter is also shown. In this case it is conceivable to integrate a complete multi-beam forming device into the antenna, in which case only the communication interface is accessible from the outside. Also, only a multi-transmission is integrated into the antenna so that the multi-transmission may be used as a mechanical interface for a housing with a motor and an electronic device. A method of mounting the multi-transmission-interface deep inside the antenna may also be proposed so that the method of mounting the housing with the motor and the electronic device to the interface may be called "quasi-integration" .

A multi-beamforming apparatus generally comprises essentially two or more interfaces and also generally comprises two or more coupling points and / or at least a plurality of coupling points.

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a multi-beam forming apparatus for a triple-band mobile radiocommunication antenna station according to the present invention; FIG.
2 is a block diagram of a multi-beam forming apparatus according to the present invention for a first embodiment with a flexible shaft or shaft for corresponding triggering of a delivery device in an individual antenna unit carried in an individual antenna sector or in a specific frequency band. Fig.
Figure 3 is a schematic view of one embodiment modified with respect to Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but for a 3-sector-antenna configuration;
Figure 5 is a further embodiment to illustrate that the gearing may also include only one driven train, wherein different interfaces or coupling points on the driven train cause the adjustment members to be in a branched state And may be provided in an offset arrangement for adjustment to the position; And
Figure 6 is a further schematic embodiment with a single gear drive train with a single interface or coupling point, depending on the situation, but at this time only one of the interfaces or coupling points has different adjustment members And may be inserted into a plurality of coupling points for driving.

In FIG. 1, a triple-band-antenna station is schematically shown. In this case, one base station (BS1, BS2, BS3) is allocated to each frequency band of three frequency bands to be transmitted. Various radiators and radiators for the tri-band-antenna arrangement are arranged below the radome 3 (generally inside or below the antenna cover 3) and are not shown in detail in the drawings. With respect to such content, known solutions are referred to.

In the variant according to Fig. 1, the radiator and radiators are provided at the upper end of the antenna mast structure 5 below the radome 3, in this case for the respective frequency bands, Two HF-feeder cables 7 each extend from the respective base stations BS1 to BS3 between the base stations.

In the modification according to FIG. 1, an amplifying device TMA1 arranged far away from the antenna, more specifically, the base stations BS1 to BS3 is provided. In this case, the corresponding HF- Signals for controlling the multi-beam forming device are also transmitted. If, in principle, a solution according to the prior art is applied in the antenna arrangement according to FIG. 1, then the entire antenna arrangement with three antenna devices radiating in different frequency bands will comprise three single-beam forming devices, Each antenna device provided for one frequency band is assigned a separate single-beam forming device, usually abbreviated as a single-RET, where the RET is again "remote electrical tilt ". In this case, for example, an AISG-socket (for example, an 8-pole socket connection) is provided in the amplifying device TMA1, and a communication bus formed in the form of, for example, (RET1) and extends from the first single-RET-unit (RET1) to the next RET-unit, respectively.

However, in the case of the embodiment according to the present invention, only one multi-beam forming device (M-RET) is provided and consequently the amplifying device TMA1 is provided only with the communication bus 11 ' (11) only extends to the multi-RET unit (M-RET).

FIG. 2 shows the entire apparatus in which the details are simplified.

More specifically, in the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the all-antenna device ANT comprises three individual antenna devices ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3, which function as separate antenna devices, For example, transmit and / or receive in three different frequency bands.

In Figure 2, three antennas or antenna sectors ANT1 through ANT3 are shown only in abstract form through a coupling coupling 29, which will be described in more detail below, wherein corresponding antenna elements are shown in Figure 2 It is not.

In the embodiment shown in the figures, for the beam alignment, which also consists of a separate radiator descent (down-tilt) and / or also in the horizontal direction as well as in the altitude direction and / or for the three antenna devices ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3, Beam forming apparatus (M-RET) is provided for possible beam forming when the half-width beam width of the multi-beam forming apparatus is set differently, and the multi-beam forming apparatus is hereinafter simply referred to as M-RET. Likewise, it is also possible to perform settings for the mechanical angles of the antenna, that is to say "roll", "pitch" and "yaw". In a very general way, within a frame of a multi-beam forming apparatus according to the present invention, any beam forming can be carried out in a wide range, resulting in a result, in other words, eventually by means of one or more of the above- The polar diagram of the corresponding antenna device, in particular the mobile wireless communication-antenna device, can be correspondingly set / set or changed.

The M-RET comprises a communication interface 13 through which the communication bus 11 is connected in the form of, for example, a corresponding communication cable 11 ' To the core), for example, directly connected to a control device integrated in the base station BS1, BS2 or BS3, or indirectly via the above-mentioned amplifying device TMA1. More specifically, for example, an AISG-socket can be used as a communication interface (similar to the prior art). For example, the control device integrated in the base station and not shown in detail in the drawing may communicate with a multi-beam forming device (M-RET) (device type 0x11) described above via a suitable protocol, for example AISG / 3GPP- can do.

2 also shows that the multi-beam forming apparatus may be used for example as a board (PCB), a flash protection device 17, a voltage supply 19 (this voltage supply is also referred to as an internal power supply 19 ' , A microprocessor 21 with the motor drive device, and an electrical actuator 23 (e.g., an electric motor, a stepper motor, a magnetically actuable actuator, etc.) Wherein the electrical actuator is connected to the first mechanical interface and / or the coupling device 25 by means of a corresponding switching and shifting gear 23 '.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first mechanical interface and / or coupling device 25 comprises three separate first mechanical interface and / or coupling devices 25a-25c, The coupling devices 25 may be connected to or connected to one drive connection 27, in the illustrated embodiment, three drive connections 27a-27c, respectively. The drive connections extend from the self-end 125, that is to say from 125a to 125c, to the second mechanical interface 35, i. E. 35a to 35c, through the second mechanical interface, (27a to 27c) are connected to the corresponding connection coupling (29) of the drive connection portion and are drivingly coupled. The interface 125 provides one connection from the self-drive connections 27a-27c to the connection couplings 29 assigned to the drive connections, in the illustrated embodiment, to the connection couplings 29a-29c, The connection couplings are connected to a separate antenna (typically having a plurality of radiators or radiators) provided for a particular frequency in the mechanical antenna interface 39 (RET-interface 39a-39c) as in the prior art And this is shown and described, for example, for an individual beam-forming device that is complementary to WO 02/061877 A2.

The coupling coupling 29 is provided with a coupling housing 31 for this purpose and a coupling shaft or coupling shaft 33 may be provided in the coupling housing, And a drive connection is made between the connection point 35 on the multi-beam forming device side and the connection point 37 on the antenna side through the connection shaft or the connection shaft. The connection point 37 on the antenna side may be provided with a threaded sleeve 139, for example, through which the above-described connecting coupling 39 is described, for example, in WO 02/061877 A2 May be installed in the corresponding antenna device, so that the phase shifter provided inside the antenna may be set correspondingly across the interface.

The drive connections 27a-27c described above preferably consist of a flexible shaft or of a flexible shaft 27, but each flexible or flexible shaft 27 is of a rigid shaft- and shaft section, Are designed to be complemented with elastic or flexible shaft-or-shaft intermediate sections, cardan joints, etc., respectively, to ensure connection from the interfaces 25a-25c to the connection-interface 125 in the corresponding coupling housing 31 .

More specifically, the structure of the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) is such that the mechanical and electronic parts inside the RET-housing (M-RET-G) are the same or substantially the same, And in this case the output shaft region of the electric motor 23 is preferably provided with a replaceable multi-axis gear 23 '(i. E., Generally a plurality of driven and / Or a branch train, hereinafter referred to as gears, which are also partly referred to as multi-shaft gears or multi-axis gears or simply multiple transmissions or multiple transmission devices 23 '), and the multi-axis- The gears have a corresponding number of drive shafts (123) corresponding to the number of discrete antennas to be adjusted, and the mechanical interface and / or coupling point (25) of the drive shaft A flexible shaft 27 is connected. Such a design approach results in a significant cost reduction because key elements such as, for example, motors, microprocessors, control electronics, etc., are used in a single manner compared to conventional devices with multiple individual beam- And it is not necessary to be configured in a multiplex manner. In other words, only one common drive device, preferably comprising a single, preferably electromotor 23, preferably with only one control device with a single microprocessor 21, is provided.

With regard to the structure and operation of the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) shown in the figures, a corresponding control signal is transmitted through an electronic device inside the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) 25b, or 25c) to the second mechanical interface and / or coupling point (25a, 25b, or 25c) via a flexible shaft or shaft (27a, 27b or 27c The antenna apparatuses ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3 are arranged in such a manner that the antenna apparatuses ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3 are provided to clearly set the falling angle of the radiating apparatus provided inside the associated antenna apparatuses ANT1 to ANT3, Can be adjusted objectively through the coupling housing 31 described below.

In other words, the individual mechanical interface- and / or coupling points 25a-25c are continuously controlled corresponding in time to activate and activate only one drive connection 27a-27c at all times.

Basically, a cable winch (for example, a bowden cable-device) which is guided in the tubular sheath so that it can move longitudinally against the power of a spring device, for example, Similarly, all of the drive connections 27a through 27c are moved through the mechanical interface 25 in the longitudinal direction according to the adjustment mechanism displaced / displaced or applied to the rotating state, thereby being installed inside the spinning devices ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3 It is also possible to control the phase shifter as intended. In this case, however, couplings 31a to 31c, which can be set separately, must be provided in the coupling housing 31, for example. In this case, only the following phase shifter is guided by its own down-tilt-angle in the associated antenna device ANT1, ANT2 or ANT3 and the other flexible shafts are guided only by the open coupling, The couplings must be purposefully connected so that they are not coordinated together.

One alternative embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3, in which a separate coupling housing 31 is not provided and instead a transmission device (not shown) provided inside the antenna device (e.g. in a radome, And / or to establish a direct connection to the setting device for setting the phase shifter 61 and with it a down-tilt-angle in the altitude direction, a different radial angle in the azimuth direction, and / Preferably flexible flexible drive shafts 27a through 27c formed in the form of a flexible shaft or a flexible shaft in order to carry out the formation of the beam by setting the second mechanical interface The end portions 125a of the drive connection portions 27a to 27c, that is, the end portions 125a, 125b, or 1c in the region (35a, 35b, or 35c) 25c). Thus, it is conceivable to integrate a complete multi-beam forming device inside the antenna, in which case it can only access the communication interface - and / or the coupling point from the outside. Also, only the multi-transmission may be integrated within the antenna and only the multi-transmission may be used as the mechanical interface for the housing provided with the motor and electronics. It is also conceivable to place the multi-transmission-interface deep inside the antenna, so that the manner in which the housing with the motor and electronics provided therein is assembled to the interface is described in a " semi-integrated "manner.

The embodiment according to FIG. 3 may be an embodiment in which the various phase shifters of only one antenna device are controlled by the multi-transmission device according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, it is also possible to provide a plurality of single-band antennas or a combination form of a multi-band antenna and a single-band antenna inside the antenna cover 3.

Basically, for example, the mechanical angles of one antenna may be set differently by the beam forming apparatus according to the present invention, that is, different "rolls", "pitches" and " yaw) "can be executed. There is no restriction in this respect. More specifically, all the above-mentioned measures can be used to make different settings and / or changes of the polarity diagram (i.e., of one radiator, generally one antenna or antenna device, and in particular one Wireless communication - the polarity of antenna equipment can be set differently).

In the case of FIG. 3, much greater cost savings are achieved than in the embodiment according to FIG. 2 because the RET-coupling 31 is no longer necessary and, in some cases, Since the housing of the multi-beam forming device can be omitted if it is fully integrated.

The aforementioned transducers, which are driven through a flexible shaft or shaft 27, can be configured in a conventional manner and / or in a suitable manner. Wherein the phase shifters comprise, for example, intermeshing gear teeth 63, as schematically only schematically indicated in Figure 3, through which the transmission of rotational motion and / Can be achieved. At this time, the setting of the phase shifter and the occurrence of a desired phase shift with the phase shifter or the phase shifter lever 65 can be individually performed. In this case, a suitable phase shifter such as a differential phase shifter or the like may be used.

It is also conceivable that another mechanical coupling of a plurality of phase shifters which can be simultaneously driven by one flexible shaft 27a to 27c. Thus, for example, in the embodiment according to FIG. 3, another second phase shifter 61 'is provided, each of which is provided with a mechanical coupling 67 (not shown) (Not shown) are coupled to the first phase shifter 61, respectively.

According to FIG. 1 and in the schematic enlarged detail according to FIG. 2, the housing M-RET-G of the multi-beam forming device M-RET, for example, Radome), resulting in a flexible shaft or shaft 27 (e.g., protected by a sheath that is not shown in detail in the drawing, similar to a Bowden cable) ) M-RET and the antenna device or antenna cover. However, not only in the variant according to FIG. 3 but also in the embodiment according to FIG. 2, the parts of the multi-beam forming device or the multi-beam forming device can also be integrated to some extent inside the housing of the antenna cover.

For the same purpose, a first integrated line 71 is shown in FIG. 3, and the first integrated line is formed by, for example, a multi-axis gear 23 'partially or wholly inside the antenna housing cover 3 Since the antenna cover or so-called radome 3 starts from the accumulation line 71 and extends in the direction of the arrow according to the arrow indication 3 ', the multi-axis gear 23 'Are disposed in the antenna cover 3 partly or wholly as mentioned above.

However, in the case where the antenna cover, that is, the radome 3 has already started from the integrated line 73 and extends in the direction of the arrow mark 3 '' according to the arrow indication 3 '', the multi-axis gear 23 ' It is also possible that the multi-beam forming device (M-RET), that is, the housing (M-RET-G), is wholly or partly integrated within the antenna cover 3.

However, since the accumulation line 73 or the above-described accumulation line 71 can also be moved between the two regions shown in Fig. 3, consequently the housing (M-RET-G) And is partially present inside the housing cover 3 as well.

Finally, for example, the communication interface 13 can be placed wholly or partially outside the radome or antenna cover 3, or it can be placed only partially or almost entirely inside the radome, Will only be able to access the original interface entrance.

The communication interface 13, which has already been mentioned several times, can be implemented differently according to the application method for the control system, for example as an AISG-socket or as a modem connected to an antenna branch.

Finally, a description of the embodiment according to Fig. 4 follows, which does not describe a solution according to the invention corresponding to the case of a tri-band-antenna arrangement, but rather a tri- In this configuration, three individual antennas ANT1, ANT2 and ANT3 are arranged in three different sectors, and each antenna sector ANT1 or ANT2 or ANT3 Beam forming apparatus (M-RET) to be able to set the beam angle and / or the down angle and / or azimuth angle for beam formation separately and differently, for example, Can be controlled individually.

Also shown in FIG. 4 are three amplifying units (TMA1, TMA2 or TMA3), which are each powered by a branch line 7 and whose corresponding additional branches from the branch line . The corresponding control signals for the multi-beamforming device (M-RET) at this time may start from the base station via one or a couple of branches, for example to one of the amplifying units, for example to the amplifying unit TMA2 Where the control signals are transmitted to the multi-beamforming device (M-RET) via a control line 11 formed, for example, in the form of a corresponding control cable or control bus 11 ' The phase shifters 61 and 61 'installed in the individual antenna apparatus can be correspondingly controlled to perform beam formation through the flexible shaft or shaft 27 in the coupling device 29 provided as the case may be.

More specifically, in order to set different down-tilt-angles in the altitude direction and / or to set different radial angles in the horizontal direction by the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) mentioned in the framework of the present invention Beamforming can be performed in the vertical and / or horizontal directions, i.e. at different azimuth angles, and / or by the RET-unit, for example, with different half-value beam widths complementarily or additionally to the above- Different settings of the antenna properties can also be performed in a manner that can be set to < RTI ID = 0.0 > In the context of the present invention in this context, the beam characteristics of the multi-beam equipment, in particular the multi-mobile wireless communication equipment, by means of the master-beam forming apparatus are different in different ways depending on the situation and according to the requirements of the customer . These different radiation properties can be set to correspondingly changed states by the RET-motor used.

Hereinafter, a gear device generally referred to as a "multi-driven gear" does not need to have a plurality of parallelly branched interfaces or coupling points, but may include only a single driven train, Or two or more different coupling points or groups of coupling points or two or more different coupling points or arrangements in order to be able to operate one or the other group- A description of one modified embodiment according to FIG. 5 is provided to clearly illustrate that the present invention may be provided or provided.

Fig. 5 schematically shows a multi-transmission-device 23 'in which two driven shafts 123, for example displaced, are depicted. Only one driven shaft 123 may be disposed, unlike the one shown in the drawing.

An adjusting member or actuating member 71 formed in the form of a screw 71 'displaced in the form of a screw 71' is placed on the driven shaft 123 and the adjusting member or actuating member is moved in a corresponding transmission and / For example, in the form of a toothed wheel 73 '. The sawtooth is shown in a schematic side view in FIG. 5, more specifically, in an aligned state perpendicular to the projection plane and thereby perpendicular to the driven axis 123. In this case, for example, the phase shifter may be operated directly or indirectly, including the phase shifter 75. The phase shifter may be configured such that the shaft 123 can be displaced to the right or left by a multi-speed transmission device 23 'in order to set the phase shifter.

In order to operate one specific phase shifting device of the three phase shifting devices 75 shown in the left side of Fig. 5 in a purposeful manner, a coupling device 77 is assigned to each of the regulating- or actuating members 71 And the coupling device can be operated through a separate coupling-actuation device 79. [ The coupling-actuation device 79 may comprise, for example, a control device formed in the form of a cable, a cable winch, a rod assembly, a lever, etc., or a combination thereof. In other words, the coupling device may be mechanically actuated or triggered, or may be electrically or electronically actuated or triggered, or may be operated in a combination of mechanical, electrical, and electronic / Can be activated or triggered. There are no limitations or restrictions in this respect. Preferably, the coupling-actuation device 79 is also guided to the multi-transmission device 23 or at least to the housing M-RET-G of the multi-transmission device 23 '.

By the operation of the corresponding coupling 77, the screw 71 ', in other words the corresponding adjusting member 71, can form a tight rotational coupling with the shaft, respectively. Therefore, when the shaft 123 rotates, the uppermost phase shifter, the intermediate phase shifter or the lowermost phase shifter 75 shown on the left side of Fig. 5, for example, can be adjusted in two opposite directions.

In accordance with the above arrangement, an interface or coupling point 25 is also implemented. In more detail, in this case, the interface and / or coupling points 25a, 25b and 25c are set differently And / or setting device 71 for the respective gear train. At this time, the driven shaft 123 is preferably part of the multi-transmission device 23 'in the sense of the present invention.

In Fig. 5 it is also possible that such an arrangement with a driven shaft 123 and an interface and / or coupling point 25 axially displaced therefrom, may also be formed in multiple in the gearing arrangement, For example, an additional driven shaft 123 is shown on the right hand side of Figure 5, but there are only two adjusting and / or actuating members 71 displaced, for example, in the axial direction, Only one corresponding coupling device 77 with ring-actuation device 79 is provided.

6, one additional modification will be described. In this modification, similarly, only one driven train 123 can be seen, but a plurality of phase shifters 75 are again controlled through the driven train .

 For this purpose, a first variator device 75 is shown in the upper right-hand part of FIG. 6, in particular with a corresponding transfer-and / or setting device 73 formed in the form of for example a toothed wheel 73 ' And the phase shifter may be set differently from the transmission and / or setting device 73 similarly to FIG. In this embodiment, similarly, in the third embodiment shown in the drawing, a phase shifter 75 displaced in the vertical or axial direction of the driven shaft 123 is provided, in which case, among the two additional phase shifters 75, And / or setting device 73 formed in the form of a toothed wheel 73 ', respectively.

In the embodiment, the driven train 123 is provided with a plurality of corresponding adjustment members displaced in the circumferential direction and formed in the form of, for example, toothed rack sections 71 ", i.e. corresponding adjustment- 71 are provided.

In this arrangement, the driven train 125 can be adjusted to rotate about the longitudinal axis in the clockwise direction and counter clockwise direction, more specifically, corresponding to the double arrow indication 81, Can also be inserted and withdrawn in the longitudinal direction of the driven shaft according to the additional double arrow indication 83, that is to say can also be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the driven shaft as well.

For example, in the case where the phase shifter 75 shown in the upper right portion of FIG. 6 has to be adjusted, the adjusting member, that is, the gear rack-shaped actuating device 71 is first rotated in the form of for example the gear wheel 73 ' The driven shaft 123 is pulled out until the height of the transferring and / or setting device 73 formed by the transferring and / or setting device 73 is reached. The driven train is then moved clockwise or counterclockwise until the toothed rack-shaped actuating device 71 is engaged with the transmission and / or setting device 73 formed, for example, in the form of a toothed wheel 73 ' Rotate counterclockwise. At this time, the adjustment of the axial length can be converted into a rotational operation based on the toothed wheel 73 'by an additional axial withdrawal or insertion operation, that is, by adjustment of the axial length, It can be set arbitrarily in two opposite directions.

Thus, for example, a coupling device with coupling points 25'a, 25'b and 25'c, which in this case also describes coupling points 25 ', is described The interface and / or coupling point 25 is defined. In this regard, the coupling point 25 ', i.e., the three coupling points 25'a, 25'b and 25'c, is merely a general interface and / or a coupling point 25, 25a, 25b and 25c).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, for example, the driven shaft 123 may be moved to further engage the multi-transmission housing (M-RET-G), for example, Or the actuating device 71 is rotated at the height of the second delivery-and / or setting device 73 of the phase shifter-component group, And is rotated by 90 [deg.] By axial movement until it reaches. For such a state, an operation member 71 is also shown in Fig. In such a state, an actuating device 71 "similar to the toothed rack shown in the middle position is formed in the form of a next toothed wheel 73 ' When the driven train is again drawn or inserted by a predetermined distance at this time, such an axial movement operation is converted into a rotary operation of the transfer-and / or setting device 73, Respectively.

And the driven shaft can be moved such that the adjusting and / or actuating member 71 is moved to the lowermost transfer and / or setting device 73, which is similar to the toothed wheel, by means of one corresponding step, Until it reaches the height of the gear wheel 73. As a result, after the corresponding further turning operation of the driven shaft 123, the gear wheel 73 'placed at the lowermost part and the lowermost sector- The group can be adjusted accordingly.

In this case, the embodiment also has three interfaces and / or coupling points 25 when observing at least three transfer-and / or setting devices 73, in which case the passive train 125 and / In relation to this, three coupling points 25 'are defined or defined in order to make it possible to operate one phase shifter-component group of the phase shifter-component groups or other setting devices of the antenna in an objective manner.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment according to FIG. 6, only one or the other adjusting and / or actuating devices 71, 71 " , But rather three adjusting and / or actuating devices 71, 71 ", for example displaced axially in the circumferential direction of the driven train 125, may be provided, resulting in a corresponding rotational motion , That is to say the adjusting and / or actuating device, the intermediate adjusting and / or actuating device, which is only at the top according to the angular setting by the rotary motion of the driven train or driven shaft 123, And / or setting device 73, or only the lowest adjustment-and / or actuating device formed in the form of, for example, the toothed rack 71 ", as described above, Three transmission-and / or setting device 73 and the interaction that they can be combined.

The above-described passive trains may be formed in multiple-RET-units in multiple, so that the number of extraneous controls that can be controlled as desired can be increased.

In all of the embodiments described above, a coupling-or regulating device which is switchable inside the gear, in particular, electromechanically switchable, as well as the corresponding drive control device with one or more motors for carrying out the regulating action is integrated .

The fact always presented within the framework of the present invention is that only one or only one common drive, one actuator, one motor and in particular one motor, etc. can be connected to two or more interfaces - or a coupling device or coupling point. More specifically, a small number of actuators, that is, motors, actuators, etc., which can be operated in an object-oriented manner as opposed to the prior art, . Therefore, in the framework of the present invention, a greater number of interfaces, coupling points 25 or coupling positions 25 'than the driving devices or the driving units have been provided.

Also, within the framework of the present invention, it is also known that there are fewer number of drive units or corresponding drive units than the interface and / or coupling points for setting or adjusting the controlled units, in particular the phase shifters, For example, in the embodiment according to FIG. 6, at least one further servo motor may be further provided. The servomotor can be adjusted by adjusting the driven shaft 123 with, for example, the corresponding adjusting and operating member 71, 71 "so that the adjusting and operating member 71, 71" Is used to allow the coupling to be moved to a position guided with a corresponding transfer-and-setting device 73 formed in the form of a toothed wheel in the side embodiment. At this time, axial adjustment can be carried out simultaneously via the drive motor, and a rotary motion for guiding the final coupling with the corresponding adjusting and actuating device 71, 71 " Axial adjustment may be effected in a direction oriented in the longitudinal direction of the driven shaft again by the drive motor in order to correspondingly control the phase shifter and to set the desired phase shift in the radiating member . With this intention, only two different adjustment steps are carried out by the drive unit and the adjustment unit, in which case one motor performs an axial adjustment and the other motor performs a rotary operation, i. E. The rotation of the shaft . In such an intention, one common drive, i. E., Two, different < / RTI > The division into two different adjustment steps for adjusting one common drive for directing adjustment is addressed. Very generally, the number of interfaces and / or coupling points depends on the number of drive units, that is, the number of common drive units In which case one drive, for example, includes one or more additional adjustment-or coupling drives or coupling motors to create drive coupling between corresponding adjustment members as previously mentioned Via the above-described coupling drive or adjustment drive or adjustment motor, the coupling device 77, also referred to with reference to FIG. 5 and comprising the corresponding coupling-actuation device 79, And in this case, depending on the coupling combination created (using a servo motor) Adjustment of the phase-to-phase tuner can be performed by the drive.

Another fact revealed from the foregoing embodiments is that the transmission of power or the transmission of torque is possible by means of a plurality of rigid shafts or shafts and by additional gear stages, ≪ / RTI > for example, can be controlled within the antenna using a flexible shaft or shaft. In other words, bridging between a gear unit or a correspondingly controlled component group such as a multi-transmission housing (M-RET-G) and a phase shifter can be made in very different places.

In this embodiment, further control devices may extend from the M-RET- unit into the antenna, and the electromechanical actuators within the antenna can be actuated via the control devices, resulting in power within the drive train The flow can be separate or closed. As already mentioned above, in the present embodiment, particularly in the passive train 123 or the shaft of the gear device, or in the phase shifter itself, or near the phase shifter, as shown with reference to the embodiment according to Fig. 5 (or Fig. 6) Or other coupling devices arranged directly in a configurable component group may be used.

Preferably, an electric motor is used as the driving device. However, in principle all other controllable drives are also considered.

Often referred to multi-transmission or multi-transmission devices within the framework of various embodiments. In other words, a gear or gear device with a plurality of drive trains or branch trains is generally handled as the multi-transmission or multi-transmission device, in which case the branch may be coupled to the interface and / Or it may be coupled to a coupling point having a different setting member, a phase shifter, and the like and switched on as follows.

Finally, it should be noted that in order to be able to connect additional multi-RET-units for controlling additional antenna devices in the intention of daisy-chain-cable installation, for example, a multi-beam- (M-RET) may be provided with at least one additional communication interface. With this additional communication interface, a plurality of multi-beam forming devices designed for this purpose can be controlled via one communication line 11, 11 '.

The multi-transmission described above can be used in all antenna constructions such as dual-band antennas or generally multi-band antennas as well as single-band antennas.

The present invention may be used in an antenna array having a radiating device arranged in one or more columns. The radiation devices may be polarized in a single manner or in multiple. In this case, there is no constraint in any direction.

Claims (25)

The beam forming apparatus is formed by a multi-beam forming apparatus (M-RET) and has one common control device with at least one microprocessor (21)
Characterized in that said multi-beam forming device (M-RET) comprises at least one electronic communication interface (13) for controlling said multi-beam forming device (M-RET) to set two or more polarity lines differently ,
The multi-beamforming apparatus (M-RET) includes at least one drive device having a motor (23) and a power supply (19)
Characterized in that the M-RET is coupled to at least one of the two or more first mechanical interfaces and coupling points (25; 25a, 25b, 25c; 25 ';25'a,25'b,25'c) Or both,
One of the two or more first mechanical interfaces and the coupling point (25; 25a, 25b, 25c; 25 ';25'a,25'b,25'c) 27a, 27b, 27c are engaged,
At least one drive 23 of the multi-beam forming device M-RET is coupled to the two or more first mechanical interfaces and coupling points 25, 25a, 25b, 25c 27a, 25'a, 25'b, 25'c, 25'c, 25'c, 25'c, 25'c, 25'c, 25'c, , 27b, 27c, respectively, can be operated in a direction of destination,
The number of the interfaces or coupling points 25a, 25b, 25c, 25 ';25'a,25'b,25'c is larger than the number of the antenna devices 23,
Multi-beam forming apparatus.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the multi-beam forming apparatus is for a multi-mobile wireless communication antenna arrangement.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Or control device 77 in which the multi-speed transmission 23 'can be electromechanically switched and which is controlled via the coupling-or-control device 77, Wherein drive connection portions are formed from the plurality of drive connection portions (27; 27a, 27b, 27c; 71, 71 '; 73, 73') to only one drive connection portion.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein said multi-transmission (23 ') can be interchanged.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
, Wherein said multi-transmission (23 ') is installed in a common housing (M-RET-G) with a multi-beam forming device.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
, Wherein the multi-transmission (23 ') is installed outside the housing (M-RET-G) of the multi-beam forming apparatus.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein each of the drive connections (27; 27a, 27b, 27c) comprises a flexible shaft or a flexible shaft, or comprises a flexible shaft or a flexible shaft.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the drive connection (27; 27a, 27b, 27c) comprises a rigid shaft section and a cardan joint connection.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A plurality of driven trains or driven shafts 123 are provided and either the corresponding interface or coupling point 25 or 25 'is provided to the driven train or driven shaft, Wherein either or both of the actuating connections to the drive- or transfer-setting device (27) are provided permanently or switchably possible via the coupling device.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
At least one drive train or driven shaft (123) is provided, wherein the drive train or driven shaft is provided with at least one of two or more interfaces and coupling points (25, 25 '), Wherein at least two drive- or transfer- or setting devices (27, 71, 73) can be driven or driven via any or all of the points.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The drive connection portion 27 (27a, 27b, 27c) is formed in the form of a bowden cable, and includes a cable winch capable of moving in the longitudinal direction in the outer cover or a longitudinally movable elastic connecting rod Beam forming apparatus.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
An end of the drive connection 27 (27a, 27b, 27c) facing the multi-speed transmission 23 'is connected to an antenna interface 39 (FIG. 39a, 39b, 39c. ≪ / RTI >
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
An end of the drive connection (27; 27a, 27b, 27c) facing each other with respect to the multi-speed transmission (23 ') is connected to an actuating device in the coupling housing (31) (39; 39a, 39b, 39c) of the antenna configuration to configure the antenna-interface (39a, 39b, 39c).
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the ends of the drive connections (27; 27a, 27b, 27c) are connected to an actuating device in the coupling housing (31) via a further mechanical interface (35; 35a, 35b, 35c).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The M-RET may comprise at least one communication interface 13 for a plurality of single-band antennas of a multi-band-antenna arrangement or for an individual sector antenna of a multi-sector-antenna arrangement. The connection to the control device can be made.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) comprises only one flash protection device (17).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the multi-beam forming apparatus (M-RET) and associated multi-beam forming apparatus housing (M-RET-G) are disposed outside the antenna cover (3).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the multi-speed transmission (23 ') is disposed outside the antenna cover (3).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
, Wherein the multi-speed transmission (23 ') is disposed wholly or partly inside the antenna cover (3).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the multi-beam forming apparatus (M-RET) and the multi-beam forming apparatus housing (M-RET-G) are disposed in whole or in part inside the antenna cover (3).
21. The method of claim 20,
Wherein the communication interface (13) is disposed in the interior of the antenna cover (3), wholly or in part, for at least an indirect connection with the base stations (BS1, BS2, BS3).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A control-or coupling-actuation device 79 extends from the multi-beam forming device (M-RET) into the antenna for objectively switching the electromechanical actuator or coupling device 77 inside the antenna, Wherein the actuating or transmitting-or setting device (27, 71, 73) can be switched on and switched off via the electromechanical actuator or coupling device (77).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Wherein the at least one drive connection (27, 123) comprises a plurality of rigid shafts or shafts and further comprises a gear stage for transmitting power flow to or from any operative device located on or within the antenna, Beam forming device.
24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein the actuating device is formed in the form of a phase shifter (75).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The opposite ends 125a, 125b and 125c of each of the drive connections 27 (27a, 27b and 27c) are connected at an additional interface 35 (35a, 35b, 35c; 39; 39a, 39b and 39c) beam shaping device can be directly or indirectly connected or connected to a transfer-setting device for setting different polar diagrams.

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