CN117673737A

CN117673737A - Base station antenna

Info

Publication number: CN117673737A
Application number: CN202211061219.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈海燕; 张讯; 万方文; 闻杭生; 孙丽
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2022-09-01
Filing date: 2022-09-01
Publication date: 2024-03-08
Also published as: WO2024050198A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a base station antenna comprising: a first feed plate on which a first column of first band radiating elements and a first phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements are arranged, wherein the first phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with a radio frequency signal having a first polarization; and a printed circuit board separate from the first feed board, on which a second phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements is arranged, wherein the second phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization.

Description

Base station antenna

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to radio communications, and more particularly to a base station antenna.

Background

Cellular communication systems are well known in the art. In cellular communication systems, a geographical area is divided into a series of areas, which are referred to as "cells" served by individual base stations. A base station may include one or more base station antennas configured to provide two-way radio frequency ("RF") communication with mobile subscribers within a cell served by the base station.

In many cases, each base station is divided into "sectors". In the most common configuration, the hexagonal cell is divided into three 120 ° sectors, each sector being served by one or more base station antennas generating a radiation pattern or "antenna beam" having an azimuth half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of about 65 °. Typically, the base station antennas are mounted on a tower structure, wherein the antenna beams generated by the base station antennas are directed outwards. Base station antennas are typically implemented as linear or planar phased arrays of radiating elements.

To improve communication quality, massive MIMO antennas and/or beamforming base station antennas are currently being deployed, which use multiple arrays for transmission and/or reception. In order to implement such base station antennas in a commercially acceptable manner, the size and/or weight of the antenna may be limited due to local zoning regulations and/or weight of the antenna tower, as well as wind load limitations, etc. A generally compact antenna size is desirable.

However, the compact antenna size may cause increased wiring difficulties, which is undesirable. Furthermore, as the arrays are arranged closer together, the interference between the feed networks of adjacent arrays may also increase, which is also undesirable.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a base station antenna that overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a base station antenna comprising: a first feed plate on which a first column of first band radiating elements and a first phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements are arranged, wherein the first phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with a radio frequency signal having a first polarization; and a printed circuit board separate from the first feed board, on which a second phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements is arranged, wherein the second phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a base station antenna comprising: a first feeding plate on which: a first column of first band radiating elements; a second column of first band radiating elements; and a first phase shifter and a second phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements, wherein the first phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a first polarization, and the second phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization; a printed circuit board separate from the first feed board, on which a third phase shifter and a fourth phase shifter for a second column of first band radiating elements are arranged, wherein the second phase shifter is configured to feed the second column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a first polarization, and the fourth phase shifter is configured to feed the second column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization.

Drawings

The disclosure is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of specific embodiments. The schematic drawings are briefly described as follows:

fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a feed plate of a base station antenna with radome and slider assemblies of phase shifters removed, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a calibration plate of the base station antenna of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the base station antenna of fig. 1 as viewed from the front of the calibration plate.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a feed plate of a base station antenna with radome and phase shifter slider assemblies removed, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a feed plate of a base station antenna with radome and phase shifter slider assemblies removed, according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a feed plate set of the base station antenna of fig. 5 with radome and slider assemblies of phase shifters removed.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a calibration plate of a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a printed circuit board of a base station antenna according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a feed plate of a base station antenna with radome and slider assemblies of phase shifters removed, according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a printed circuit board of a base station antenna according to further embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; indeed, the embodiments described below are intended to more fully convey the disclosure to those skilled in the art and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide yet additional embodiments.

It should be understood that the terminology herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

In this document, spatially relative terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "high," "low," and the like may be used to describe one feature's relationship to another feature in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, when the device in the figures is inverted, features that were originally described as "below" other features may be described as "above" the other features. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the relative spatial relationship will be explained accordingly.

In this document, the term "a or B" includes "a and B" and "a or B", and does not include exclusively only "a" or only "B", unless otherwise specifically indicated.

In this document, the terms "schematic" or "exemplary" mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than as a "model" to be replicated accurately. Any implementation described herein by way of example is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the detailed description.

As used herein, the term "substantially" is intended to encompass any minor variation due to design or manufacturing imperfections, tolerances of the device or element, environmental effects and/or other factors.

In this context, the term "part" may be any proportion of parts. For example, it may be greater than 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or even 100%, i.e., all.

In addition, for reference purposes only, the terms "first," "second," and the like may also be used herein, and are thus not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1-3, fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a feed plate 2 of a base station antenna with a radome and a slider assembly 18 of a phase shifter removed, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the calibration plate 4 of the base station antenna of fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the base station antenna of fig. 1 as viewed frontward from the calibration plate 4, with the reflection plate omitted.

The base station antenna may be mounted on a raised structure, such as an antenna tower, pole, building, water tower, etc., such that its longitudinal axis may extend substantially perpendicular to the ground.

The base station antenna is typically mounted within a radome (not shown) that provides environmental protection. The base station antenna may include a reflective plate (not shown) that may include a metal surface that provides a ground plane and reflects, e.g., redirects, electromagnetic waves arriving at it to propagate forward.

As shown in fig. 1, the base station antenna may include a feeding plate 2 disposed at a front side of a reflecting plate (not shown), and two columns of first band radiating elements 6 arranged in a longitudinal direction V may be mounted on the feeding plate 2. The longitudinal direction V may be in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the base station antenna or parallel to the longitudinal axis. The longitudinal direction V is perpendicular to the horizontal direction H and the forward direction F (i.e., the direction toward the reader). Each of the first-band radiating elements 6 is installed to extend forward from the reflection plate. It will be appreciated that a base station antenna may comprise a plurality of such feed plates 2.

In some embodiments, the operating frequency band of the first band radiating element 6 may be, for example, 617-960MHz or sub-bands thereof. In some embodiments, the operating frequency band of the first band radiating element 6 may be, for example, 1427-2690MHz or a sub-band thereof. In some embodiments, the operating frequency band of the first band radiating element 6 may be, for example, 3.1-4.2 GHz or a sub-band thereof. It should be appreciated that the base station antenna 100 may also include radiating elements that are within other operating frequency bands. For simplicity of illustration and description, the description is not repeated here.

As shown in fig. 2, the base station antenna may include a calibration plate 4 disposed at the rear side of the reflection plate. Calibration plate 4 is widely used in Massive MIMO antennas or beamforming antennas, and calibration plate 4 may be used to identify any undesired variations in the amplitude and/or phase of RF signals input to the different radio frequency ports of the antenna to transmit the result of the identification (i.e., the calibration signal) to a remote radio frequency unit (RRU). The remote radio frequency unit may adjust the amplitude and/or phase of the RF signal to be input on the radio frequency port accordingly based on the calibration signal to provide an optimized antenna beam.

As shown in fig. 1, the first and second phase shifters 11 and 12 for the first column 61 of the first band radiating elements 6 and the third and fourth phase shifters 13 and 14 for the second column 62 of the first band radiating elements 6 are integrated onto the feed plate 2. The first phase shifter 11 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having a first polarization to the first band radiating elements 6 and the second phase shifter 12 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having a second polarization to the first band radiating elements 6. The third phase shifter 13 may be configured to feed the second column 62 of the first band radiating elements 6 with radio frequency signals having a first polarization, and the fourth phase shifter 14 may be configured to feed the second column 62 of the first band radiating elements 6 with radio frequency signals having a second polarization.

To achieve the phase shifting operation, as shown in fig. 3, a connecting rod 16 may be mounted on the rear surface of the calibration plate 4, and may be configured to synchronously drive the movement of each of the slide assemblies 18 of the first to fourth phase shifters 14.

In the embodiments shown in fig. 1 to 3, while integrating the respective phase shifters 11-14 onto the feed board 2 may increase the integration of the base station antenna, reduce cabling and thus space occupation by cabling, it may at the same time result in too dense traces on the feed board 2, thereby introducing undesired coupling between the traces. Furthermore, in order to integrate the individual phase shifters 11 to 14 on the feed plate 2, a sufficient array spacing must also be ensured, which in turn contradicts the desired compact size and/or lighter weight. For example, in some cases, the weight of the base station antenna may have higher requirements, such as being below a certain mass (e.g., below 8kg, 7kg, etc.). In order to reduce the weight of the base station antenna, the array space can be reduced, thereby reducing the sizes of the feed plate 2, the reflection plate, and the calibration plate 4. However, the shrinking of the array space may make integration of the phase shifters 11-14 more difficult.

To further overcome at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks of base station antennas, the present disclosure also relates to a new compact base station antenna in which the phase shifters for at least some of the radiating element arrays are mounted distributed on the feed board and the printed circuit board behind the feed board. In some embodiments, the printed circuit board behind the feed board may be, for example, a calibration board. The phase shifter for the first portion of at least some of the radiating element arrays may be mounted on the feed plate and the phase shifter for the second portion of at least some of the radiating element arrays may be mounted on the calibration plate. Such a distributed arrangement of phase shifters may effectively reduce the specific size (e.g., width) and/or weight of the base station antenna. In addition, since only a part of the phase shifters are mounted on the feed board, a sufficient wiring space can be reserved, thereby effectively reducing problems caused by too dense wiring.

Referring to fig. 4, a schematic diagram of a feed plate of a base station antenna is shown with radome and slider assemblies of phase shifters removed, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 7, a schematic diagram of a calibration plate of a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

As shown in fig. 4, the base station antenna may include a first feed plate 21, on which first feed plate 21 a first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 and a first phase shifter 11 for the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 and a second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 and a third phase shifter 13 for the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 may be arranged. The first phase shifter 11 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having a first polarization (e.g. +45 deg.) or a second polarization (e.g. -45 deg.). The third phase shifter 13 may be configured to feed the second column 62 with radio frequency signals having the first polarization or the second polarization to the first band radiating element 6.

It should be understood that the base station antenna may include a plurality of first feeding plates 21 arranged side by side, and the plurality of first feeding plates 21 may be installed in front of the calibration plate 40 and the reflection plate. In some embodiments, only the two columns of the first-band radiating elements may be arranged on the first feeding plate 21, without having the third column of the first-band radiating elements. In other embodiments, a third column of first-band radiating elements and a fourth column of first-band radiating elements may also be arranged on the first feeding plate 21. In other embodiments, radiating elements having other operating frequency bands may also be disposed on each feed plate.

As shown in fig. 7, the base station antenna may comprise a calibration plate 40, on which calibration plate 40 a second phase shifter 12 for a first column of first band radiating elements and a fourth phase shifter 14 for a second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 may be arranged. The second phase shifter 12 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having the second polarization or the first polarization to the first band radiating elements 6. The fourth phase shifter 14 may be configured to feed the second column 62 with radio frequency signals having the second polarization or the first polarization to the first band radiating elements 6.

With continued reference to fig. 4, on said first feed plate 21 a first feed network 31 and a second feed network 32 for the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 and a third feed network 33 and a fourth feed network 34 for the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 may be printed. In the current embodiment, the first phase shifter 11, the third phase shifter 13, and the respective feeding networks 31 to 34 may be commonly arranged on the front surface of the first feeding plate 21. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, particularly when the first feed plate 21 is configured as a multi-layer printed circuit board, the first phase shifter 11, the third phase shifter 13 and the respective feed networks 31-34 may be arranged in common in different layers (front, intermediate and/or rear surfaces) of the first feed plate 21.

With continued reference to fig. 7, the calibration plate 40 may include a calibration network 42, and respective radio frequency ports 44 in the calibration network 42 may be configured to electrically connect with the second and fourth phase shifters 12, 14 on the calibration plate 40 and to electrically connect with the first and third phase shifters 11, 13 on the first feed plate 21 via respective transmission means (e.g., coaxial cables, coaxial connectors, or other conductive structures). In the present embodiment, the calibration network 42, the second phase shifter 12 and the fourth phase shifter 14 may be arranged at least partially (e.g., phase shifting circuits thereof) in common on the rear surface of the calibration plate 40. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, particularly when the calibration plate 40 is configured as a multi-layer printed circuit board, the calibration network 42, the second phase shifter 12, and the fourth phase shifter 14 may be commonly arranged in different layers (front, middle, and/or rear surfaces) of the calibration plate 40.

As shown in fig. 7, the respective radio frequency ports 44 in the calibration network 42 may be electrically connected to the inputs of the first and third phase shifters 11, 13 on the first feed plate 21 via respective transmission means (e.g., coaxial cables, coaxial connectors, and/or other conductive structures), and the respective outputs of the first and third phase shifters 11, 13 may be electrically connected to the inputs of the first and third feed networks 31, 33 on the first feed plate 21, respectively.

The respective radio frequency ports 44 in the calibration network 42 may be connected to respective inputs of the second phase shifter 12 and the fourth phase shifter 14 via respective transmission lines, and respective outputs of the second phase shifter 12 and the fourth phase shifter 14 may be electrically connected to inputs of the second feed network 32 and the fourth feed network 34 on the first feed plate 21 via respective transmission means (e.g., coaxial cables, coaxial connectors, and/or other conductive structures).

In the present embodiment, only the phase shifters for the first parts (e.g. half) of the two columns of the first band radiating elements 6 are mounted on the first feeding plate 21, while the phase shifters for the second parts (e.g. the other half) of the two columns of the first band radiating elements 6 are transferred onto the calibration plate 40. Thereby, the layout on the feed plates 21, 22, for example, the layout of the feed networks 31-34 and/or the layout of the accommodation grooves for accommodating the slider assemblies of the phase shifters can be further optimized, thereby effectively reducing problems due to too dense wiring.

In addition, in order to perform a phase shifting operation of the array, a connection rod may be mounted on a rear surface of the calibration plate 40, and the connection rod 16 may be configured to synchronously drive the movements of the first, second, third and fourth slide assemblies.

As shown in fig. 4, a first receiving slot 51 may be provided in the region between the two columns 61, 62 of first band radiating elements 6 to at least partially receive the first slider assembly of the first phase shifter 11 and the third slider assembly of the third phase shifter 13. Since only the accommodation groove for the first partial phase shifter needs to be provided on the first feeding plate 21, the first feeding plate 21 can be realized more compactly. For example, in some cases, the width of the first feeding plate 21 may be 130mm or less, 120mm, 115mm, 110mm, or even 100mm.

As shown in fig. 7, a second receiving slot 52 corresponding to the first receiving slot 51 may be provided in the area between the two branches of the calibration network 42 to at least partially receive the second slider assembly of the second phase shifter 12 and the fourth slider assembly of the fourth phase shifter 14. Since only the accommodation groove for only a part of the phase shifter needs to be provided on the calibration plate 40, the calibration plate 40 can be realized more compactly. Thereby, the size of the calibration plate 40 and thus the weight of the calibration plate 40 and the base station antenna can be effectively reduced.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 3, each slide assembly 18 may include a tooth section 19, the tooth sections of the first and third slide assemblies may face each other, and the tooth sections of the second and fourth slide assemblies may face each other. On the connecting rod 16, a toothed rack 17 can be mounted, which toothed rack 17 is configured to drive the respective slide assembly 18 to slide on the phase shift circuit by means of the engagement between the toothed rack 17 and the toothed section 19 of the slide assembly 18.

Next, referring to fig. 8, a schematic diagram of a printed circuit board 50 of a base station antenna according to further embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. In the embodiment of fig. 8, the base station antenna may comprise a printed circuit board 50 separate from the first feed board 21, which in the present embodiment no longer has a calibration network 42, since the printed circuit board 50 is no longer configured as a calibration board 40. This allows a more compact design. It should be understood that the printed circuit board 50 may include a plurality of phase shift units as shown in fig. 8 for a plurality of first feeding boards 21.

As shown in fig. 8, a second phase shifter 12 for the first column of first band radiating elements and a fourth phase shifter 14 for the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 may be arranged on the printed circuit board 50. The second phase shifter 12 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having the second polarization or the first polarization to the first band radiating elements 6. The fourth phase shifter 14 may be configured to feed the second column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having the second polarization or the first polarization.

To perform the phase shifting operation, a connecting rod 16 (shown in fig. 3) may be mounted on the rear surface of the printed circuit board 50, and the connecting rod 16 may be configured to synchronously drive the movement of the respective slide assemblies of the first to fourth phase shifters 14.

The above description of the calibration plate 40 may be transferred to the present embodiment unless otherwise stated or contradicted by each other, and will not be repeated here.

Next, referring to fig. 5 and 6, schematic diagrams of feed plates of base station antennas according to further embodiments of the present disclosure are described, with radomes and slider assemblies of phase shifters removed.

As shown in fig. 5, the base station antenna may include a first feed plate 21 and a second feed plate 22. The second feeding plate 22 may be arranged in parallel with the first feeding plate 21 as a pair of feeding plates.

On the first feed plate 21 a first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6, a first phase shifter 11 for the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6, and a first feed network 31 and a second feed network 32 for the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 are arranged. The first phase shifter 11 may for example be configured to feed the first column 61 via the first feed network 31 with radio frequency signals having a first polarization (e.g. +45 °) or a second polarization (e.g. -45 °).

On said second feed plate 22 are arranged a second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6, a third phase shifter 13 for the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6, and a third feed network 33 and a fourth feed network 34 for the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6. The third phase shifter 13 may for example be configured to feed the second column 62 with radio frequency signals having the first polarization or the second polarization to the first band radiating elements 6 via the third feed network 33.

The second phase shifter 12 for the first column 61 of the first band radiating elements 6 and/or the fourth phase shifter 14 for the second column 62 of the first band radiating elements 6 may be integrated on a printed circuit board 50 separate from the feed boards, for example at the rear. In some embodiments, the printed circuit board 50 may be configured, for example, as the calibration board 40 described in fig. 7. In some embodiments, the printed circuit board 50 may be configured as a printed circuit board 50 as described in fig. 8, for example.

On the printed circuit board 50, for example the calibration board 40, a second phase shifter 12 for the first column 61 of the first band radiating elements 6 and a fourth phase shifter 14 for the second column 62 of the first band radiating elements 6 may be arranged. The second phase shifter 12 may be configured to be electrically connected via transmission means with the second feed network 32 on the first feed plate 21 and in turn with the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 via the second feed network 32. Thereby, the second phase shifter 12 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having the second polarization or the first polarization to the first band radiating elements 6. The fourth phase shifter 14 may be configured to be electrically connected via transmission means to a fourth feed network 34 on the second feed plate 22 and in turn to the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 via the fourth feed network 34. Thus, the fourth phase shifter 14 may be configured to feed the second column 62 with radio frequency signals having the second polarization or the first polarization to the first band radiating elements 6.

As shown in fig. 6, the base station antenna may include a plurality of pairs of feed plates consisting of a first feed plate 21 and a second feed plate 22. The pairs of feed boards may be mounted in front of a printed circuit board 50, such as a calibration board 40, so that the entire first radiating element array is mounted on the pairs of feed boards.

In some embodiments, only one column of the first-band radiating elements may be respectively arranged on each of the feed plates. Thus, each feed plate can be realized more compactly. For example, in some cases, the width of the first power feeding plate 21 may be 65mm, 60mm, 55mm, or 50mm or less. It should be understood that in other embodiments, radiating elements having other operating frequency bands may also be disposed on each feed plate.

Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, only the phase shifter for a first part (e.g. half) of a column of first band radiating elements is mounted on each feed board 21, 22, while the phase shifter for a second part (e.g. the other half) of the column of first band radiating elements is transferred onto a further printed circuit board 50, e.g. a calibration board 40. Thereby, the layout on the feed plates 21, 22, for example, the layout of the feed networks 31-34 and/or the layout of the accommodation grooves for accommodating the slider assemblies of the phase shifters can be further optimized, thereby effectively reducing problems due to too dense wiring.

In addition, in order to perform a phase shifting operation of the array, one connection bar 16 (see fig. 3) may be mounted on the rear surface of the printed circuit board 50, and the connection bar 16 is configured to synchronously drive the movements of the first, second, third and fourth slider assemblies.

As shown in fig. 6, a first receiving groove 51 may be provided between the first and second power feeding plates 21 and 22. In other words, the first accommodation groove 51 for at least partially accommodating the first slider assembly of the first phase shifter 11 and the third slider assembly of the third phase shifter 13 may be formed by the outer contour of the first feeding plate 21 and the outer contour of the second feeding plate 22.

As shown in fig. 7 or 8, a second receiving groove 52 corresponding to the first receiving groove 51 may be provided on the printed circuit board 50, and the second slider assembly of the second phase shifter 12 and the fourth slider assembly of the fourth phase shifter 14 may be at least partially received in the second receiving groove 52. For example, a second receiving slot 52 corresponding to the first receiving slot 51 may be provided in the region between the two branches of the calibration network 42 to at least partially receive the second slider assembly of the second phase shifter 12 and the fourth slider assembly of the fourth phase shifter 14. Since only the accommodation groove for only a part of the phase shifter needs to be provided on the calibration plate 40, the calibration plate 40 can be realized more compactly. Thereby, the size of the calibration plate 40 and thus the weight of the calibration plate 40 and the base station antenna can be effectively reduced.

Next, with reference to fig. 9 and 10, schematic diagrams of a feed board and a printed circuit board of a base station antenna according to further embodiments of the present disclosure are described, with radomes and slider assemblies of phase shifters removed. In the following, only the differences between the present embodiment and the embodiments described above will be specifically described, and other details may be transferred to the present embodiment unless otherwise specified.

As shown in fig. 9, the base station antenna may include a first feed plate 21, on which first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6, second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6, and first and second phase shifters 11 and 12 for the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 are arranged. On said first feed plate 21 a first feed network 31 and a second feed network 32 for the first column 61 of first band radiating elements 6 and a third feed network 33 and a fourth feed network 34 for the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 may be printed.

In the present embodiment, the first phase shifter 11, the second phase shifter 12, the first feed network 31, the second feed network 32, the third feed network 33, and the fourth feed network 34 are commonly arranged on the front surface of the first feed plate 21. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, particularly when the first feed plate 21 is configured as a multilayer printed circuit board 50, the first phase shifter 11, the second phase shifter 12, and the respective feed networks may be commonly arranged in different layers (front, middle, and/or rear surfaces) of the first feed plate 21.

The first phase shifter 11 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having a first polarization via the first feed network 31 and the second phase shifter 12 may be configured to feed the first column 61 with radio frequency signals having a second polarization via the second feed network 32.

As shown in fig. 10, the base station antenna may include a printed circuit board 50 separated from the first feed board 21, on which printed circuit board 50 the third phase shifter 13 and the fourth phase shifter 14 for the second column 62 of the first band radiating elements 6 are arranged. In the illustrated embodiment, the printed circuit board 50 may be configured, for example, similar to the printed circuit board 50 described in fig. 8. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the printed circuit board 50 may be configured similar to the calibration board 40 described in fig. 7, for example. The third phase shifter 13 arranged on the printed circuit board 50 may be configured to be electrically connected with the third feed network 33 via transmission means and in turn to feed the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 with radio frequency signals of the first polarization via the third feed network 33, and the fourth phase shifter 14 is configured to be electrically connected with the fourth feed network 34 via transmission means and in turn to feed the second column 62 of first band radiating elements 6 with radio frequency signals of the second polarization via the fourth feed network 34.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, all changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. A base station antenna, comprising:

a first feed plate on which a first column of first band radiating elements and a first phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements are arranged, wherein the first phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with a radio frequency signal having a first polarization; and

a printed circuit board separate from the first feed board, on which a second phase shifter for the first column of first band radiating elements is arranged, wherein the second phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization.

2. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein a first feed network and a second feed network for a first column of first band radiating elements are printed on the first feed board.

3. The base station antenna of claim 2, wherein the first phase shifter, the first feed network, and the second feed network are commonly disposed on a front surface of the first feed plate.

4. The base station antenna of claim 2, wherein the first phase shifter is electrically connected to a first column of first band radiating elements via a first feed network.

5. A base station antenna according to claim 2, characterized in that the second phase shifter is electrically connected via transmission means to a second feed network and in turn via the second feed network to the first column of first band radiating elements.

6. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein the first feed plate is disposed in front of the printed circuit board.

7. The base station antenna of claim 6, wherein the base station antenna comprises a reflector plate disposed between the first feed plate and the printed circuit board.

8. The base station antenna of one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the printed circuit board is configured as a calibration board; and/or

The calibration plate includes a calibration network, respective radio frequency ports in the calibration network being configured to electrically connect with a second phase shifter on the calibration plate; and/or

The calibration network and the moving circuit of the second phase shifter are commonly arranged on the rear surface of the calibration plate; and/or

A respective radio frequency port in the calibration network is configured to electrically connect with a first phase shifter on a first feeder board via a transmission device; and/or

A second column of first band radiating elements and a third phase shifter for the second column of first band radiating elements are arranged on the first feed plate; and

a fourth phase shifter for a second column of first band radiating elements is arranged on the printed circuit board; and/or

Only two columns of first-band radiating elements are arranged on the first feed plate; and/or

A third and a fourth feed network for the second column of first band radiating elements are arranged on the first feed plate, and the third phase shifter is electrically connected to the second column of first band radiating elements via the third feed network, and the fourth phase shifter is electrically connected to the fourth feed network via the transmission means and further to the second column of first band radiating elements via the fourth feed network; and/or

The width of the first feed plate is less than or equal to 120mm; and/or

The base station antenna includes a plurality of first feed plates arranged side by side, the plurality of first feed plates being mounted in front of a printed circuit board; and/or

The base station antenna includes a second feed board on which a second column of first-band radiating elements and a third phase shifter for the second column of first-band radiating elements are arranged, and on which a fourth phase shifter for the second column of first-band radiating elements is arranged; and/or

Only one column of first-band radiating elements is arranged on each of the first and second feed plates; and/or

A third and a fourth feed network for the second column of first band radiating elements are arranged on the second feed plate, and the third phase shifter is electrically connected to the second column of first band radiating elements via the third feed network, and the fourth phase shifter is electrically connected to the fourth feed network via the transmission means and further to the second column of first band radiating elements via the fourth feed network; and/or

The width of the feed plate is less than or equal to 55mm; and/or

The second feeding plate and the first feeding plate are arranged side by side to form a pair of feeding plates; and/or

The base station antenna includes a plurality of pairs of feed plates mounted in front of a printed circuit board; and/or

A first accommodating groove is formed in the first feed board, a second accommodating groove corresponding to the first accommodating groove is formed in the printed circuit board, a first sliding vane component of the first phase shifter and a third sliding vane component of the third phase shifter are at least partially accommodated in the first accommodating groove, and a second sliding vane component of the second phase shifter and a fourth sliding vane component of the fourth phase shifter are at least partially accommodated in the second accommodating groove; and/or

A first accommodating groove is arranged between the first feeding plate and the second feeding plate, and a second accommodating groove corresponding to the first accommodating groove is arranged on the printed circuit board, wherein a first sliding vane component of the first phase shifter and a third sliding vane component of the third phase shifter are at least partially accommodated in the first accommodating groove, and a second sliding vane component of the second phase shifter and a fourth sliding vane component of the fourth phase shifter are at least partially accommodated in the second accommodating groove; and/or

The first slide assembly and the third slide assembly face each other, and the second slide assembly and the fourth slide assembly face each other; and/or

A connecting rod is mounted on the rear surface of the printed circuit board, and is configured to synchronously drive the movement of the first, second, third and fourth slider assemblies.

9. A base station antenna, comprising:

a first feeding plate on which:

-a first column of first band radiating elements;

-a second column of first band radiating elements; and

-a first phase shifter and a second phase shifter for a first column of first band radiating elements, wherein the first phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a first polarization, and the second phase shifter is configured to feed the first column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization;

a printed circuit board separate from the first feed board, on which a third phase shifter and a fourth phase shifter for a second column of first band radiating elements are arranged, wherein the second phase shifter is configured to feed the second column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a first polarization, and the fourth phase shifter is configured to feed the second column of first band radiating elements with radio frequency signals having a second polarization.

10. The base station antenna of claim 9, wherein first and second feed networks for the first column of first band radiating elements and third and fourth feed networks for the second column of first band radiating elements are printed on the first feed board,

wherein the first phase shifter is electrically connected to the first column of first band radiating elements via a first feed network and the second phase shifter is electrically connected to the first column of first band radiating elements via a second feed network,

wherein the third phase shifter is electrically connected to a third feed network via a transmission device and further electrically connected to the second column of first band radiating elements via a third feed network, and the fourth phase shifter is electrically connected to a fourth feed network via a transmission device and further electrically connected to the second column of first band radiating elements via a fourth feed network; and/or

The printed circuit board is configured as a calibration board, and a reflection board of the base station antenna is arranged between the first feeding board and the calibration board; and/or

The first phase shifter, the second phase shifter, the first feed network, the second feed network, the third feed network, and the fourth feed network are commonly arranged on the front surface of the first feed board, and the calibration network, the phase shift circuit of the third phase shifter, and the phase shift circuit of the fourth phase shifter are commonly arranged on the rear surface of the calibration board; and/or

The calibration plate includes a calibration network, respective radio frequency ports in the calibration network being configured to be electrically connected with a third phase shifter and a fourth phase shifter on the calibration plate, and respective radio frequency ports in the calibration network being configured to be electrically connected with a first phase shifter and a second phase shifter on a first feed plate via transmission means, respectively; and/or

A first accommodating groove is formed in the first feed board, a second accommodating groove corresponding to the first accommodating groove is formed in the printed circuit board, a first sliding vane component of the first phase shifter and a second sliding vane component of the second phase shifter are at least partially accommodated in the first accommodating groove, and a third sliding vane component of the third phase shifter and a fourth sliding vane component of the fourth phase shifter are at least partially accommodated in the second accommodating groove; and/or

The first slide assembly and the second slide assembly face each other, and the third slide assembly and the fourth slide assembly face each other; and/or