CN116780202A - Reflector assembly for an active antenna unit and base station antenna having a reflector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to reflector assemblies for active antenna units and active antenna units and base station antennas having reflector assemblies. A reflector assembly adaptable to an active antenna unit and/or a base station antenna is provided, the reflector assembly comprising a reflector body and a lip extending around a periphery of the reflector body. The reflector body has sidewalls that may optionally include a plurality of fin structures extending around the perimeter of the reflector body. During use, the sidewalls may be directly exposed to environmental conditions. In use, the fin structure may be shaped as a channel member, which may be formed from sheet metal, or provided as a separate extruded or die-cast member that may be coupled to the reflector body.

Description

Reflector assembly for active antenna unit and active antenna with reflector assembly Line units and base station antennas

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202210217965.0, filed on March 8, 2022, titled "Reflector assembly for active antenna unit and active antenna unit and base station antenna with reflector assembly" .

Background technique

The present invention relates generally to radio communications and, more particularly, to base station antennas for cellular communications systems.

Cellular communication systems are well known in the art. In cellular communications systems, a geographical area is divided into a series of areas or "cells" served by corresponding macrocell base stations. Each macrocell base station may include one or more base station antennas configured to provide two-way radio frequency ("RF") communications with subscribers within the cell served by the base station. In many cases, each base station is divided into "sectors." In one common configuration, a hexagonal cell is divided into three 120° sectors in the azimuthal plane, and each sector is composed of one or more macros with an azimuthal half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of approximately 65°. Cell base station antenna services. So-called small cell base stations can be used to provide services in high traffic areas within parts of a cell. Typically, base station antennas are mounted on towers or other elevated structures, where the radiation pattern produced by the base station antenna is directed outward.

Certain components of the base station antenna can generate heat. For example, radio devices can generate heat. In the past, external cooling fins were provided in the housing of the base station antenna and in the body or chassis of the subunit/radio unit to help dissipate the heat generated. Further details of example conventional antennas can be found in co-pending WO2019/236203 and WO2020/072880, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Contents of the invention

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, fin structures are provided coupled to a reflector body which do not require the fin structure to be integrated with the reflector body and/or the reflector major surface.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a reflector assembly for a base station antenna, the reflector assembly comprising: a reflector body having an outer perimeter providing a lip extending outwardly from the reflector body; and stacked in a front-to-back direction about the outer perimeter. multiple fin structures.

The reflector body may have a front surface. The lip may extend laterally and/or longitudinally behind the front surface. Multiple fin structures can be located in front of the lip.

The reflector body may be rectangular with a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides. The lip may be provided as a plurality of outwardly extending lip sections, at least one lip section extending outwardly from each of the long and short sides.

The lip may be defined by at least one fold or bend in a portion of the metal sheet providing the reflector body.

The lip may have four lip sections. Adjacent end portions of at least a first and second one of the lip sections may be spaced apart and define an open corner space.

The reflector assembly may also include coupling members extending spatially across the open corner.

At least some of the plurality of fin structures may be provided by stacked sets of U-shaped channels, oriented such that the open ends of the U-shaped channels face outwardly away from the reflector body and the closed ends of the U-shaped channels are adjacent or close The side, top, or bottom wall adjacent to the reflector body.

At least some of the plurality of fin structures may be provided by stacked sets of L-shaped channels, oriented such that the short ends of the L-shaped channels abut or are in close proximity to the side, top or bottom walls of the reflector body.

The reflector body may have a pair of laterally spaced side walls and longitudinally spaced top and bottom walls surrounding the front surface of the reflector body, and wherein the side walls, top walls and bottom walls Extends rearwardly in the front-to-back direction perpendicular to and between the lip and front surface of the reflector body.

A first subset of the plurality of fin structures may be secured to the side walls, and a second subset of the plurality of fin structures may be secured to the top or bottom wall.

At least some of the plurality of fin structures may be welded, welded, soldered, and/or riveted to one or more of the top, bottom, or side walls of the reflector body.

The reflector body may have a plurality of apertures, at least some of the plurality of apertures having a lateral extension in the range of 20-90% of the lateral extension of the reflector body.

At least some of the plurality of apertures may also have a lateral extension in the range of 10-60% of the longitudinal extension of the reflector body.

The reflector body may be provided as a frame providing a lip. The reflector body may be configured to mate with one or more substrates for defining a reflector front surface behind the radiating element and in front of the radio device.

At least some of the plurality of fin structures may be provided by an elongated channel member that is bendable or foldable to define first and second sections that are coplanar and orthogonal to each other. A corresponding fin structure is bent thereby to form a 90 degree curved joint, and wherein the first and second sections of the elongated channel extend in front of the lip.

The lip may extend laterally outwardly from and perpendicularly to the right and left side walls. The lip may also extend longitudinally from and perpendicular to the top and bottom walls.

At least some of the plurality of fin structures may be provided by extruded or die-cast components as separate components from the reflector body.

At least some of the plurality of fin structures may have a fin surface having at least one curved outwardly facing perimeter defining a recess configured to receive a corresponding securing member.

The reflector body and the plurality of fin structures may have a corrosion-resistant surface treatment such as plating and/or coating or electroplating.

Some embodiments relate to an active antenna unit including a reflector assembly and a radio behind the reflector assembly, a radio housing holding the radio and a radiating element in front of the reflector assembly.

Some embodiments relate to base station antennas including reflector assemblies described herein.

Still other embodiments relate to a reflector assembly for a base station antenna that includes a reflector body having a peripheral front face and a thermally conductive fin structure including a plurality of stacked channel members. The stacked channel members are coupled to the reflector body and extend laterally and/or longitudinally outwardly from the periphery of the reflector body.

The reflector assembly may also include a lip extending outwardly from and behind the front perimeter of the reflector body.

The reflector body may be of/formed from sheet metal and the lip may be formed by bending at least one of a portion of the sheet metal.

Stacked channel members may include sheet metal U-shaped or L-shaped channels.

The stacked channel members may be provided as extruded or die-cast members.

The reflector assembly may also include a dielectric liner between the plurality of stacked channel members and the facing portion of the reflector body.

Other embodiments relate to an active antenna unit for a base station antenna, the active antenna unit comprising: a reflector body having an outer perimeter providing a lip extending outwardly from the reflector body; coupled to the reflector body and a radome in front of the reflector body; and a radio coupled to the reflector body and behind the reflector body.

The reflector body has a front surface and the lip may extend laterally and/or longitudinally behind the front surface. The reflector body may have a plurality of sidewalls extending behind the front surface coupling the front surface to the lip. In use, the side walls are directly exposed to environmental conditions.

All side walls may be free of outwardly projecting fins and may define thermal outlets for heat paths from the heat source(s) in the radio.

The reflector body may be rectangular with a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides. The lip may be provided as a plurality of outwardly extending lip sections, with at least one lip section extending outwardly from each long side and/or from each short side.

The lip may be defined by at least one fold or bend in a portion of the metal sheet providing the reflector body.

The lip may have four lip sections. Adjacent end portions of at least a first and second one of the lip sections may be spaced apart and define an open corner space.

The active antenna unit may include a coupling member extending spatially across the open corner.

The radome may have an outer peripheral portion with an inner groove that may retain the sealing member. The radome may be sealingly coupled to the front surface of the reflector body.

The side walls may have a height in the range of approximately 20 mm to approximately 50 mm.

At least one of the side walls may have an outwardly projecting fin in front of the lip.

It should be noted that various aspects of the disclosure described with respect to one embodiment may be included in other different embodiments even if other different embodiments are not specifically described. In other words, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment may be combined in any way and/or combination as long as they do not conflict with each other.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a front, side perspective and partially exploded view of a reflector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front, side perspective and assembled view of the reflector assembly shown in FIG. 1 .

Figure 3 is a front, side and partially exploded view of an active antenna module having the reflector assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4A is a front, side perspective view of another embodiment of a reflector assembly in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 4B is a partially exploded front perspective view of a portion of an example active antenna unit having the reflector assembly shown in Figure 4A, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4C is a greatly enlarged view of a portion of the reflector assembly and radio shown in Figure 4B.

FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged front, side perspective view of a corner of the reflector assembly shown in FIG. 2 .

Figure 6A is a front perspective view of another reflector assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

6B and 6C are side, perspective views of an example extruded or die-cast fin member including stacked fin stacks in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a front, side perspective and partially exploded view of another embodiment of an active antenna unit and reflector assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

8A and 8B are assembly views of reflector assemblies having different metal surfaces in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, with FIG. 8B illustrating a reflector assembly having a surface treatment thereby facilitating protection under harsh environmental conditions. stability.

9A and 9B are enlarged schematic views of a portion of a plurality of thermal fins and reflector assemblies and thermally conductive pads in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

9C and 9D are enlarged side perspective views illustrating corner portions of a reflector body according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

10A-10E are enlarged schematic diagrams of an example configuration of a portion of a reflector assembly and a plurality of thermal fins in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 11A is a schematic diagram of a fin structure that can be bent to form a fin according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11B is a view of the fin structure shown in FIG. 11A in a curved configuration to provide two sides of the fin structure (eg, side and top fins or side and bottom fins), in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram.

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a curved fin structure that may be provided by additional bends in the starting fin structure according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 13A is a top, side perspective view of another example starting fin structure with multiple pre-formed notches for bending in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13B is a front, side perspective view of the starting fin structure shown in Figure 13A bent in multiple places to form a frame-shaped fin structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13C is a front, side perspective view of the fin structure shown in Figure 13B assembled to a reflector body in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13D is a greatly enlarged view of a corner portion of the assembly shown in Figure 13C.

Figure 14 is a rear perspective view of a base station antenna including an active antenna unit having a reflector assembly retained at least partially outside a passive housing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a base station antenna with an active antenna element, with a reflector assembly retained inside the base station antenna, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 16 is a simplified schematic diagram of a cross-section of an example active antenna unit illustrating thermal paths from a heat source in a radio device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 17 is a simplified schematic diagram of a cross-section of another example active antenna unit illustrating a heat path from a heat source in a radio device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 18 is a block diagram of an example heat flow path for an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 19 is a front, side perspective view of the active antenna unit shown in Figure 18.

Figure 20 is an enlarged top view of the active antenna unit shown in Figure 19.

Figure 21 is a greatly enlarged view of a corner of the active antenna unit shown in Figures 19 and 20.

Figure 22 is a simplified cross-sectional view of the active antenna unit shown in Figure 20, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 23 is a partially exploded view of the active antenna unit shown in Figure 20.

24 is a rear perspective, partially exploded view of the active antenna unit shown in FIG. 23 .

FIG. 25 is an enlarged exploded view of a portion of the active antenna unit shown in FIG. 23 .

Detailed ways

The requirements for cellular communication capabilities have grown at a high rate. As a result, the number of base station antennas has proliferated in recent years. Base station antennas are relatively large and heavy, and as mentioned above, are usually mounted on antenna towers. Due to the wind loads on the antenna and the weight of the antenna and associated radio equipment, cables, etc., the antenna tower must be built to support the significant loads. This increases the cost of the antenna tower.

In the following description, terms are used to describe active antenna units and components thereof for base station antennas which assume that the base station antenna is mounted for use on a tower with the longitudinal axis of the antenna along the vertical (or nearly vertical) axis, and the front surface of the antenna is mounted opposite a tower or other mounting structure so as to point toward the coverage area of the antenna.

Embodiments of the invention will now be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Die-cast or extruded reflector structures with integrated heat sinks in active antenna units are described in co-pending PCT/CN2021/116847, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. . However, integrating the heat sink into the reflector structure may require relatively expensive tooling and/or manufacturing techniques. The inventive concepts provide alternative reflector assembly configurations that may reduce the cost and/or weight of the reflector structure.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 5, there is shown a reflector assembly 10 having a reflector body 10b with a lip 15 extending outwardly therefrom. Lip 15 may have first 15 ₁ and second 15 ₂ lip sections 15 s extending longitudinally from and perpendicular to top wall 10t and bottom wall 10w, respectively. The lip 15 may have third 15 ₃ and fourth 15 ₄ lip sections 15 s extending laterally outwardly from the right side wall 10 s and the left side wall 10 s respectively. As shown, the lip 15 is perpendicular to each of the right and left side walls 10s, 10s and the bottom and top walls 10w, 10t. A plurality of fin structures 25 may be located in front of the lip 15 , and the plurality of fin structures 25 are heat-conducting and heat-dissipating fins. The fin structure 25 may be provided with a plurality of fin surfaces 25f, which may be provided as parallel planar fin surfaces and may be located in front of the lip 15, typically with the front surface of the reflector body 10b Flush or behind the front surface of reflector body 10b.

In some embodiments, there are multiple fin surfaces 25f, typically 3-10, more commonly 3-6, extending from all four sides (left and right and top and bottom) of the reflector body 10b . However, fin structures 25 may be provided on a subset of the sides, such as two or three sides, rather than all four sides as shown.

The fin surface 25f may extend from the main reflector body 10b a distance equal to, greater than or less than the distance that the lip 15 extends from the reflector body 10b. Different fin surfaces 25f may have different extension lengths.

The reflector body 10b may be formed of a sheet metal such as a metal including or defined by aluminum. The lip 15 may be formed by bending the portion of the sheet metal that provides the reflector body 10b. The lip 15 may have an open corner space 11 between adjacent end portions of adjacent 15n lip sections 15s.

In some embodiments, at least some of the fin structures 25 may be formed from metal, such as sheet metal.

The reflector assembly 10 may include at least one coupling member 29 extending between and above and/or behind the corresponding open corners 11 . The coupling member 29 may be square or rectangular, although other shapes may be used. As shown, there are four coupling members 29 at the four corners and the coupling members 29 may cooperate with the lip 15 to define a closed reflector perimeter surface to isolate the radio 50 from the radiating element 40 (Fig. 3) and /or provide a water-resistant or waterproof barrier.

The (main) reflector body 10b may have a rectangular shape in which a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides surround the front surface 10f. In the working position (Fig. 14), the long sides can extend longitudinally and the short sides can extend transversely.

Fin structure 25 may be provided by a mating fin structure attached to at least one of side wall 10s, top wall 10t or bottom wall 10w of reflector body 10b. The fin structure 25 may be a metal stamping or other metal shaped and formed component, and may be a separate component from the reflector body 10b. The fin structures 25 need not be die-cast or extruded fins, but may be configured as such (Figs. 6A-6C).

Fin structure 25 may be attached to reflector body 10b using any suitable attachment configuration, such as rivets, welding, soldering joints, soldering, chemical bonding, and the like. For welds or welds, one or more spaced welds or welds may be provided along each outwardly facing surface of one or all of the facing fin structure 25 and each end wall 10t, 10w or each side wall. Welded joints. For riveting you can use Riveted to facilitate proper sealing configuration. TOX riveting process is a cold joining process, also known as "/> -Rivets" in which the sheets of metal to be joined are forcefully connected and positively locked to each other in a continuous forming process during riveting or crimping.

In some embodiments, a subset of fin structures 25 may be attached together and to lip 15 without needing to be welded, welded or riveted to side wall 10s, top wall 10t or bottom wall 10w. For example, suitable configurations and/or friction engagements or the like may be used to secure mating components together. In yet other embodiments, the fin structure 25 may be attached to the reflector body in other ways, and the reflector body may be provided without the lip 25 .

Referring to Figures 1, 2, 5 and 10A, for example, at least some of the plurality of fin structures 25 are provided by sets ₂₅₁ , ₂₅₂ of stacked U-shaped channels 25u oriented such that the U-shaped channels The open end 25e of 25u faces outward away from the reflector body 10b, and the closed end 25c of the U-shaped channel 25u is adjacent or closely adjacent to the side wall 10s, top wall 10t or bottom wall 10w of the reflector body 10b. It will be understood that the term "U-shaped" is used broadly herein and includes, for example, a channel in which the side and bottom walls intersect at a sharp angle (eg, a 90° angle), as opposed to a circular joint, and includes channels in which the sides A structure whose walls do not extend outward the same length.

As shown in Figures 10B-10E, at least some of the plurality of fin structures 25 are provided by a stack of stacked L-shaped channels 25l oriented such that the short ends 25s of the L-shaped channels are adjacent or in close proximity to the reflector The side wall 10s, the top wall 10t or the bottom wall 10w of the main body 10b, and the long end of the L-shaped channel extends outward from the short end.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the reflector assembly 10 may be provided in the active antenna unit 110 . The active antenna unit 110 may include a radome 30 and a radiation element 40 protruding toward the front of the feed plate 40f. The reflector assembly 10 is located behind the radiating element 40 and in front of the radio housing 50h containing the radio 50.

In some embodiments, radiating element 40 may be configured as a massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) array that may operate in the 3-4 GHz frequency range. The radio housing 50h may include rearwardly extending thermal/thermally conductive fins 50f.

It is noted that the term "active antenna unit" is interchangeably referred to herein as "active antenna module". Active antenna modules may be deployed as stand-alone base station antennas, or may be deployed within a base station antenna configured as a larger antenna structure that includes additional active antenna modules and/or may be connected to The antenna structure is a traditional "passive" antenna array external to a radio device.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4C , at least some of the fin structures 25 of the reflector assembly 10 may have recesses 12 . The recess 12 may have a curve, such as a semicircle or an arc. Other recess shapes can be used. The recesses 12 may be provided as a scalloped pattern over the length of the respective surface 25f of the fin structure 25 . Recess 12 may be configured to receive a securing member 115 (eg, a screw) to couple reflector assembly 10 to radio housing 50h. The radio housing 50h may include a mating aperture 50a that receives the securing member 115 .

Referring to FIGS. 6A-6C , at least some of the fin structures 25 may be provided as stacked planar fin surfaces 25 f provided by a die cast or extrusion 125 . The die cast or extruded body 125 may include an inner wall 125w that may be coupled to the reflector body 10b, for example, to one of the side wall 10s, the top wall 10t, or the bottom wall 10w. In some embodiments, rear wall 125b may be coupled to lip 15 and/or located against the lip. In some embodiments, inner wall 125w and rear wall 125b may be coupled to respective adjacent surfaces of reflector body 10b (eg, sidewall 10s and lip 15). Figures 6B and 6C illustrate that the die cast or extruded body 125 may be provided in different lengths, for example, a short side length 125s and a long side length 125l for the short and long sides of the reflector body 10b respectively.

As shown in Figure 7, the reflector body 10b may have a frame configuration whereby the front surface 10f has a front perimeter with cutouts and/or apertures 28 extending between the side walls 10s and having in the reflector The main body 10b has a lateral extension La in the range of 20-99% of the lateral extension La. At least some of the plurality of apertures 28 may also have a longitudinal extension Lo in the range of 10-90% of the longitudinal extension Lo of the reflector body 10b.

One or more bridges 128 may provide at least a portion of the front surface 1Of and may extend between adjacent/adjacent apertures 28 .

The aperture 28 may be located in front of one or more cavity filters 60 and behind the feed plate 4Of with the radiating element 40 . The front surface 10f may surround the perimeter of the feed plate 40f, and the cavity filter 60 may have a front surface that cooperates with the reflector body 10b to provide a reflective surface to provide a reflector function. Cavity filter 60 may be a resonant cavity filter, as is well known to those skilled in the art. The radio may have a metal cover 50c.

The cavity filter 60 may cooperate with the radio cover 50c and thus the reflector body 10b for defining the reflector for the radiating element 40 eliminating the need for pairing behind the feed plate 40f and in the conventional active antenna unit. A separate reflector in front of the cavity filter 60 is required.

Referring to Figures 8A and 8B, the reflector assembly 10 may have a surface treatment 75 whereby the surfaces of the fin structure 25 and the reflector body 10b are fabricated to improve the performance of the radiating element 40 in environments such as salt, fog, smoke and other environments. Preservation in harsh environments such as exposure. Surface treatment may include plating, coating and/or electroplating of metal(s) to provide a corrosion resistant surface.

Figure 9A illustrates that the reflector assembly 10 may include rivets 200 that extend through the walls 10t, 10w, 10s of the reflector body 10b and into the wall provided by the closed end 25e of the U-shaped channel 25u. Rivet 200 may also extend through dielectric pad 210 between reflector body 10 and U-shaped channel 25u. In some embodiments, dielectric pad 210 may be formed from a thermally conductive material. Figure 9B illustrates dielectric liner 210 on the interior surface of walls 10t, 10w, 10s. Where used, internal and external pads 210 may also be used together in some embodiments (not shown).

The dielectric liner 210 may reduce the interface between the walls 10t, 10w, 10s and the corresponding fin structures 25, 25', 125 (shown by way of example with a U-shaped channel 25u) that may act as a buffer for passive intermodulation distortion. source of risk.

Figure 9A also illustrates the use of three fin structures ₂₅₁ , ₂₅₂ , ₂₅₃ to provide 6 fin surfaces 25f defined by three stacked U-shaped channels 25u.

Figure 9C illustrates that the lip 15 may have a front facing end 15e projecting forward of the main surface 15p of the lip 15. In some embodiments, a portion of the sheet metal may be bent twice to provide lip 15 and front facing end 15e. The set of fin structures may be slidably received by lip 15 within reflector body 10b and front facing end 15e, thereby facilitating ease of assembly/alignment.

In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 9D, the front facing end 15e can bend itself inward to provide a clamping surface for the fin structure.

Figures 10A-10D show examples of reflector assemblies 10 having different arrangements and configurations of fin structures 25, 25'. 10B-10D illustrate a fin structure 25' having an L-shaped channel 25l with a short end 25s adjacent to, or located in close proximity to, the reflector body 10b (eg, wall 10s, 10t, or 10w).

The term "close proximity" refers to a position 0-1 mm from an adjacent wall such as bottom wall 10w, top wall 10t or side wall 10s to facilitate conductive heat transfer. If the dielectric liner is located between components such that the fin structures 25, 25', 125 and reflector body 10b are adjacent to the dielectric liner, this distance may vary, with the closely spaced dimensions increasing the width of the dielectric liner.

Figures 10A and 10D illustrate that the different fin surfaces 25f can have different lengths, and some can be longer than the lip 15. Others can be shorter than the lip or have the same length.

Figures 10B, 10C and 10D illustrate different directions of the short side 25s of the L-shaped channel 25l facing the wall 10s, 10t or 10w of the reflector body 10b. Figure 10D illustrates four L-shaped channels 25l, 25 ₁ ', 25 ₂ ', 25 ₃ ', 25 ₄ '. Figure 10C illustrates three fin surfaces 25f, while Figure 10D illustrates four fin surfaces 25f.

Figure 10E illustrates that the fin structure 25 may be provided with an L-shaped channel 25l having an over-long 25xl short side 25s which may be coupled to, for example, an L-shaped channel member 25l (or even a U-shaped channel member) One or more other short sides of 25s such as other channel members. Thus, the fin structure 25 can provide a nested configuration of L-shaped channels 25l, with one "L" having an extra long 25xl short side to which other short sides 25s are embedded and can be attached. This configuration may allow the fin structures 25 to be pre-assembled together and then attached as a unit to the reflector body 10b.

Turning now to Figures 11A-11B, the fin structure can be provided by bending the channel structure at least once. Figure 11A illustrates a starting fin structure 25 with at least one notch 26 defining a curved area 25b. FIG. 11B illustrates the resulting fin structure whereby the first and second fin structure sections of the fin structure for reflector assembly 10 are coplanar or parallel to each other, and oriented are 90 degrees to each other and can be coupled to both sides of the reflector body 10b.

Figure 12 illustrates a three-sided fin structure with two curved sections 25b forming coplanar first and second fin sides and a first zone at 90 degrees to each other. segment and the second segment, whereby the corresponding bends may define a 90 degree bend joint for the adjacent bend segment (which would include the two notches 26 in the starting fin structure of Figure 11A).

Referring to Figures 13A-13D, the starting fin structure may be configured to form a four-sided "frame" shaped fin structure with three curved sections (which will include three notches 26 in the starting fin structure). The notches 26 may be pre-formed, or may be made continuously as each successive bend 25b is made, or may be made in the starting piece defining spaced apart locations. The notch sections 26 may form bridges 126 that connect and extend between the curved edges of the folded/bent fin structure. After forming the frame fin structure, a corner 129 may be formed by the free ends of the adjacent or closely spaced channel members.

The use of multi-sided folded/curved fin channel structures, particularly double-sided, three-sided or four-sided curved channel fin structures can provide increased stiffness to the reflector body 10b over single-sided fin structures and allow the use of thinner reflector bodies 10b .

In some embodiments, active antenna unit 110 with radio 50 may be configured as a 5G module. With the introduction of fifth generation (“5G”) cellular technology, routinely deployed base station antennas now have active beamforming capabilities. Active beamforming refers to the transmission of an RF signal through a multi-column array of radiating elements, where the relative amplitudes and phases of the sub-components of the RF signal transmitted (or received) by the different radiating elements of the array are adjusted so as to be formed by the individual radiating elements The radiation patterns are beneficially combined in one or more desired directions to form a narrower antenna beam with higher gain. Using active beamforming, the shape and pointing direction of the antenna beam produced by a multi-column array can be changed on a slot-by-slot basis, for example in a time division duplex ("TDD") multiple access scheme. In addition, in a multi-user MIMO scenario, different antenna beams can be generated simultaneously on the same frequency resource. More complex active beamforming schemes can apply different beams to different physical resource blocks, which are a combination of frequency resources and time resources by applying beam vectors in the digital domain. Base station antennas with active beamforming capabilities are often referred to as active antennas. When a multi-column array includes a large number of columns (eg, sixteen or more) of radiating elements, the array is often referred to as a massive MIMO array. A module that includes a multi-column array of radiating elements and associated RF circuitry (and possibly baseband circuitry) implementing an active antenna is referred to herein as an active antenna module.

Referring to Figure 14, a base station antenna 100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. The base station antenna 100 includes a passive antenna assembly 190 having a plurality of interior portions of radiating elements arranged in a plurality of laterally spaced apart and adjacent longitudinally extending columns between a top 100t and a bottom 100b of the base station antenna 100 Line array 111. In the example embodiment, there are eight columns of the linear array 111 of radiating elements.

The active antenna unit 110 may be held against the rear portion 100r of the housing 100h of the base station antenna 100 including the passive antenna assembly, the active antenna unit 110 having a bracket assembly 112 having laterally extending spaced apart The first bracket 113 and the second bracket 114. The housing 100h has a front surface 100f and side portions 100s and a rear portion 100r defining a radome. The bracket assembly 112 may also mount the base station antenna housing 100h with the active antenna unit 110 to a target structure such as a pole 10.

Figure 15 illustrates another embodiment of a base station antenna 100 having a housing 100h that includes a passive antenna assembly 190 sized and configured to retain an active antenna element 110 within at least a portion thereof. In some embodiments, reflector assembly 10 may be retained at least partially within base station antenna housing 100h without requiring any or all components of active antenna unit 110.

The base station antenna 100 may include one or more arrays of low-band radiating elements, one or more arrays of mid-band radiating elements, and one or more arrays of high-band radiating elements. The radiating elements may each be a dual polarized radiating element. Further details of the radiating elements can be found in co-pending WO 2019/236203 and WO 2020/072880, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Further details regarding base station antenna housings with passive antenna assemblies and example active antenna modules are found in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17/209,562 and corresponding PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US2021/023617, the contents of which are This is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

The linear array 111 of (active antenna elements 110) and/or passive antenna components 190 may be provided as a low-band radiating element, a mid-band radiating element or a high-band radiating element. The high-band radiating element may be configured to transmit and receive signals in the 3.3-4.2 GHz frequency band or a portion thereof and/or signals in the 5.1-5.8 GHz frequency band or a portion thereof. Mid-band radiating elements may be configured to transmit and receive signals in, for example, the 1.427-2.690 GHz frequency band or a portion thereof. The low-band radiating element may be configured to transmit and receive signals in, for example, the 0.616-0.960 GHz frequency band or a portion thereof.

It will be understood that other types of radiating elements may be used, more or fewer linear arrays may be included in the antenna, the number of radiating elements per array may vary, and planar arrays or staggered linear arrays may be used instead of others Example of a "straight" linear array shown in the figure.

Figure 16 illustrates an example thermal path Tp for heat from heat source H in radio device 50. In Figure 16, thermal path Tp includes fin 25f coupled to reflector side 10s.

Figure 17 illustrates that the thermal path Tp can leave the reflector sidewall 10s directly without the need for fins 25f. In this embodiment, the reflector sidewalls 10s are directly exposed to ambient conditions/air, and heat flows out of the radio device 50 from the active antenna unit 110 through the sidewalls 10s.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of the thermal path Tp shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 . Heat from heat source(s) H travels from the radio through cover 50c on radio 50 between the radio circuitry and filter(s) 60 in radio 50 . Filter(s) 60 may be a resonant cavity filter as known to those skilled in the art. Cover 50c may be provided by the rear surface of filter(s) 60 or by a separate cover and may be metallic.

Referring to Figures 19-21, the active antenna unit 110' is similar to that shown in Figures 1-16, but the reflector body 10b has side walls 10s extending between the radome 30 and the radio 50. These side walls 10s Direct exposure to ambient conditions/air. The side wall 10s may have a lip 15, with adjacent lip sections 15s leaving an open space therebetween at the corner of the reflector body facing the radio 50.

As discussed above, the reflector assembly 10' may include at least one coupling member 29 extending between and above and/or behind the corresponding open corners 11. The coupling member 29 may be square or rectangular, although other shapes may be used. As shown, there are four coupling members 29 at the four corners, and the coupling members 29 may cooperate with the lip 15 to define an enclosed reflector perimeter surface to isolate the radio 50 from the radiating element 40 (Fig. 3) and/or or provide a water-repellent or waterproof barrier. The coupling member 29 may be metallic and may be welded, soldered and/or adhesively attached to the adjacent lip segment 15s.

Radome 30 may be a polymeric or copolymeric material. The radio housing 50h and reflector body 10b and lip 15 may be metallic.

Referring to Figure 21, the bends between different adjacent surfaces 10n of the sidewalls 10s may be welded, soldered or otherwise sealed together.

Referring to Figures 22-25, the radome 30 of the active antenna unit 110' may be sealingly attached to the front surface 10f of the reflector body 10b. FIG. 22 illustrates that the radome 30 may include an interior groove 30g for receiving the sealing member 130. Internal grooves may be on the outer peripheral portion 30p of the radome 30. The outer peripheral portion 30p of the radome 30 may have an outer surface 30e that is planar. Attachment members 230 (generally on each side) may extend through the radome 30 and into the front surface 10f of the reflector body 10b to attach the components together and provide a water-blocking seal.

The radio housing 50h may be sealingly attached to the lip 15 of the reflector body 10b. One or both components may include sealing members such as gaskets or O-rings, which may aid in a water-tight seal therebetween. The radio housing 50h may have an outer perimeter with an outwardly projecting planar edge 50e surrounding the recess 50r of the housing 50h and abutting the main surface of the lip 15 . The cover 50c may be located in the recess 50r. The cavity filter 60 may be at least partially in front of the radio 50 within the reflector body 10b.

In some embodiments, the sidewalls 10s of the reflector body 10b may have a height "h" typically in the low profile range of about 20-60 mm, such as about 30-50 mm, for example about 38 mm. The lip 15 may project outwardly from the side wall 10s by a distance that is less than the height h of the side wall 10 (measured in the front-to-back direction as shown in Figure 20). The lip 15 may project outwardly from the side wall 10s by a distance that is the same as or even greater than the height of the side wall 10s.

The long sides of the reflector body 10b may have lips 15 and side walls 10s, which may have a longitudinally extending length "L" and which length "L" is greater than on the short sides of the reflector body 10b (i.e. at its top and bottom). ) has a width/lateral extension of lip 15 "W". In some embodiments, the long edge lip 15 and sidewalls 10s are 1.5 to three times the width W. Different side walls 10s may have different sized lips 15 (not shown).

The radio fins 50f may have an outward protrusion greater than that of the fins 25f of the reflector 10, typically 2-20 times greater in use. The radio fins 50f may have an outward protrusion greater than the height "h" of the reflector sidewall 10s.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the present 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. The same reference numbers always refer to the same components.

In the above discussion, reference is made to linear arrays of radiating elements that are typically included in base station antennas. It will be understood that the term "linear array" is used broadly herein to encompass a single column of radiating elements configured to transmit a sub-component of an RF signal as well as two columns of radiating elements configured to transmit a sub-component of an RF signal. Two arrays of radiating elements that are dimensional arrays (e.g., multiple linear arrays). It will also be understood that in some cases the radiating elements may not be arranged along a single line. For example, in some cases, a linear array of radiating elements may include one or more radiating elements offset from the line along which the remaining radiating elements are aligned. This "staggering" of radiating elements allows the design of arrays with desired azimuthal beamwidths. Such staggered arrays of radiating elements are configured to transmit sub-components of the RF signal encompassed by the term "line array" as used herein.

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 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 like fashion (ie, "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.).

The term "approximately" with respect to a number means that the stated number can vary +/-20%.

As shown in the figures, relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “on” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe one element, layer or region relative to A relationship to another element, layer, or area. It will be understood that these terms are also intended to cover 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 also be understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprises", when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements and/or components but do not exclude one or more other features, operations, elements, and/or components. The presence or attachment of elements, parts and/or groups thereof.

Aspects and elements of all embodiments disclosed above may be combined in any way and/or combined with aspects or elements of other embodiments to provide multiple additional embodiments.

Claims (37)

1. A reflector assembly for a base station antenna, comprising:

a reflector body having an outer periphery providing a lip extending outwardly from the reflector body; and

a plurality of fin structures stacked in the front-rear direction around the outer periphery.

2. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflector body comprises a front surface, wherein the lip extends laterally and/or longitudinally behind the front surface, and wherein the plurality of fin structures are located in front of the lip.

3. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflector body is rectangular with a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, and wherein the lips are provided as a plurality of outwardly extending lip segments, at least one lip segment extending outwardly from each of the long sides and/or each of the short sides.

4. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the lip is defined by at least one fold or bend in a portion of the sheet metal providing the reflector body.

5. The reflector assembly of claim 4, wherein the lip comprises four lip segments, wherein adjacent end portions of at least a first and second of the lip segments are spaced apart and define an open corner space.

6. The reflector assembly of claim 5, further comprising a coupling member extending across the open corner space.

7. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of fin structures are provided by a stacked set of U-shaped channels, oriented such that an open end of the U-shaped channels faces outwardly away from the reflector body and a closed end of the U-shaped channels is adjacent or in close proximity to a side wall, top wall, or bottom wall of the reflector body.

8. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of fin structures are provided by stacked sets of L-shaped channels, oriented such that short ends of the L-shaped channels are adjacent or in close proximity to a side wall, top wall, or bottom wall of the reflector body.

9. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflector body has a pair of laterally spaced apart side walls and longitudinally spaced apart top and bottom walls, the side walls, top and bottom walls surrounding a front surface of the reflector body, and wherein the side walls, top and bottom walls extend perpendicularly to and rearwardly in a front-to-rear direction between the lip and front surface of the reflector body.

10. The reflector assembly of claim 9, wherein a first subset of the plurality of fin structures is secured to the side wall, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of fin structures is secured to the top wall or the bottom wall.

11. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of fin structures are welded, soldered, brazed and/or riveted to one or more of the top, bottom or side walls of the reflector body, optionally wherein a dielectric liner is located between the respective fin structure and the corresponding top, bottom or side wall.

12. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflector body comprises a plurality of apertures, at least some of the plurality of apertures having a lateral extension in the range of 20-90% of the lateral extension of the reflector body.

13. The reflector assembly of claim 12, wherein at least some of the plurality of apertures further have a longitudinal extension in the range of 10-60% of the longitudinal extension of the reflector body.

14. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflector body is provided as a frame providing a lip, wherein the reflector body is configured to cooperate with one or more substrates for defining a reflector front surface behind a radiating element and in front of a radio.

15. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of fin structures are provided by an elongated channel member that is bendable or foldable to define a respective fin structure comprising first and second sections that are coplanar and orthogonal to each other, whereby bending forms a 90 degree bend joint, and wherein the first and second sections of the elongated channel extend in front of the lip.

16. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the lip extends laterally outward from and perpendicular to the right and left side walls, and wherein the lip extends longitudinally from and perpendicular to the top and bottom walls.

17. The reflector assembly of claim 16, wherein at least some of the plurality of fin structures are provided by an extruded or die cast member that is a separate component from the reflector body.

18. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of fin structures comprise a fin surface having at least one curvilinear outward facing perimeter defining a recess configured to receive a corresponding securing member.

19. The reflector assembly of claim 1, wherein the reflector body and the plurality of fin structures comprise a corrosion resistant surface treatment, such as plating and/or coating or electroplating.

20. An active antenna element comprising:

the reflector assembly of any one of claims 1-19;

a radio behind the reflector assembly;

a radio housing holding the radio; and

a radiating element in front of the reflector assembly.

21. A base station antenna comprising the reflector assembly of any of claims 1-19.

22. A reflector assembly for a base station antenna, the reflector assembly comprising:

a reflector body including a front face having a perimeter; and

a thermally conductive fin structure comprising a plurality of stacked channel members coupled to a reflector body and extending laterally and/or longitudinally outward from a perimeter of the reflector body.

23. The reflector assembly of claim 22, further comprising a lip extending outwardly from and rearward of the perimeter of the front face of the reflector body.

24. The reflector assembly of claim 23, wherein the reflector body comprises sheet metal, and wherein the lip is formed by bending at least one of a portion of the sheet metal.

25. The reflector assembly of claim 22, wherein the stacked channel member is a sheet metal U-shaped or L-shaped channel.

26. The reflector assembly of claim 22, wherein the stacked channel member is provided as an extruded or die cast member.

27. The reflector assembly of claim 22, further comprising a dielectric liner between the plurality of stacked channel members and the facing portion of the reflector body.

28. An active antenna element for a base station antenna, comprising:

a reflector body having an outer periphery providing a lip extending outwardly from the reflector body;

a radome coupled to and in front of the reflector body; and

a radio coupled to and behind the reflector body.

29. An active antenna element as claimed in claim 28, wherein the reflector body comprises a front surface, wherein the lip extends laterally and/or longitudinally behind the front surface, wherein the reflector body comprises a plurality of side walls extending behind the front surface, and the plurality of side walls are configured to couple the front surface to the lip, and wherein, in use, the side walls are directly exposed to ambient conditions.

30. An active antenna element as claimed in claim 29, wherein all side walls are free of outwardly protruding heat sinks and define a heat outlet for a heat path from one or more heat sources in the radio.

31. An active antenna element as claimed in claim 28, wherein the reflector body is rectangular with a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, and wherein the lips are provided as a plurality of outwardly extending lip sections, at least one lip section extending outwardly from each long side and/or each short side.

32. An active antenna element as claimed in claim 28, wherein said lip is defined by at least one fold or bend in a portion of sheet metal providing said reflector body.

33. An active antenna element as recited in claim 28, wherein the lip comprises four lip sections, wherein adjacent end portions of at least a first and a second of the lip sections are spaced apart and define an open corner space.

34. An active antenna element as recited in claim 32, further comprising a coupling member extending across the open corner space.

35. An active antenna element as recited in claim 28, wherein the radome comprises an outer perimeter portion including an internal groove that holds a sealing member, and wherein the radome is sealably coupled to the front surface of the reflector body.

36. An active antenna element as claimed in claim 29, wherein said side wall has a height in the range of about 20mm to about 50 mm.

37. An active antenna element as claimed in claim 28, wherein at least one of said side walls comprises an outwardly projecting heat sink located in front of said lip.