CN215377690U

CN215377690U - Antenna housing assembly and integrated base station antenna

Info

Publication number: CN215377690U
Application number: CN202121960870.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘能斌; 张讯; 唐普亮
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2021-08-20
Filing date: 2021-08-20
Publication date: 2021-12-31
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-20

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a radome assembly and an integrated base station antenna. The radome assembly is for an integrated base station antenna integrated with a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module, the radome assembly comprising a radome and a cover plate, wherein the radome and cover plate define an interior space for mounting the 4G antenna module, and wherein the cover plate comprises a first section and a second section, the first and second sections being configured as separate components, the 5G antenna module being adapted for mounting on the second section outside of the second section.

Description

Antenna housing assembly and integrated base station antenna

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communications. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a radome assembly suitable for an integrated base station antenna integrated with a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module, and an integrated base station antenna including the radome assembly.

Background

With the development of wireless communication technology, an integrated base station antenna integrated with a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module has appeared. The radome assembly of the integrated base station antenna may include a radome and a cover plate. The related components of the 4G antenna module may be mounted in the inner space formed by the radome and the cover plate, while the 5G antenna module is typically mounted on a portion of the cover plate outside the cover plate of the radome assembly, which makes the cover plate of the radome assembly a very complicated structure and thus difficult to manufacture.

In addition, for base station antennas of different lengths, the radome components thereof also have correspondingly different lengths. This results in the need to use different molds when manufacturing radome assemblies of different lengths, thereby increasing mold and manufacturing costs.

Furthermore, in order to mount the 5G antenna module on the cover plate of the radome assembly, it is also generally necessary to use a machined stiffener to support the 5G antenna module and to increase the strength of the cover plate of the radome assembly. However, there are difficulties with the placement and positioning of the reinforcing rods.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

It is an object of the present disclosure to address one or more of the above problems, and other problems, and to achieve additional advantages.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a radome assembly is provided. The antenna housing assembly is used for an integrated base station antenna integrated with a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module. The radome assembly includes a radome and a cover plate, wherein the radome and cover plate define an interior space for mounting the 4G antenna module, and wherein the cover plate includes a first section and a second section configured as separate components, the 5G antenna module adapted to be mounted on the second section externally of the second section.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second section is provided with a recess for accommodating at least a part of the 5G antenna module.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome and the cover plate are configured to be snap-connected to each other.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome is configured with a U-shaped cross-section, such that the radome has a substantially flat bottom and two sidewalls extending vertically, wherein a free end of each sidewall comprises a cavity structure.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome assembly includes a stiffener for reinforcing the strength of the radome assembly and for fixing the 5G antenna module.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the reinforcement bar is a metal reinforcement bar.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the stiffener has the structure of an "i" beam.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome is configured with a U-shaped cross-section, such that the radome has a substantially flat bottom and two sidewalls extending vertically, wherein a free end of each sidewall comprises a cavity structure, and wherein the stiffener is arranged within the cavity structure.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cavity structure has a rectangular cross-section.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome, cover plate, and stiffener are fastened together by fastening elements when the radome assembly is assembled.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome assembly further comprises a plurality of support elements for mounting the 5G antenna module.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of support members are fixed at both sides of the radome at regions corresponding to where the 5G antenna module is located.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome assembly further comprises a plurality of support elements for mounting the 5G antenna module, the plurality of support elements being fixed on the stiffener via fastening elements.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome assembly further comprises one or more mounting brackets for mounting the integrated base station antenna on a respective pole.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the radome assembly includes a plurality of mounting brackets, some of which are secured to a cover plate of the radome assembly and others of which are secured to the stiffener.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the first section of the cover plate is made by extrusion, while the second section of the cover plate is made by injection molding.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section of the cover plate is made by extrusion, while the second section of the cover plate is made by a sheet molding compound forming process.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section of the cover plate is formed from a glass fiber reinforced plastic and the second section of the cover plate is formed from a sheet molding compound.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section of the cover plate is formed of a first polymer material and the second section of the cover plate is formed of a second polymer material different from the first polymer material.

In a second aspect according to the present disclosure, an integrated base station antenna is provided. The integrated base station antenna includes a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module, and a radome assembly according to the present disclosure.

It is noted that aspects of the present disclosure described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other different embodiments, although not specifically described with respect to those other different embodiments. In other words, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment may be combined in any way and/or combination as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

Drawings

The disclosure will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a radome assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates a schematic exploded perspective view of a radome assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a cover plate of a radome assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates a schematic, partially enlarged view of a cover plate of a radome assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, showing a mounting element mounted at a side of the cover plate;

fig. 5 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a mounting bracket of a radome assembly according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views. In the drawings, the size of some of the features may vary and are not drawn to scale for clarity.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, the embodiments described below are intended to provide a more complete disclosure of the present disclosure, and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

It is to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meaning 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.

As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprising," "including," and "containing" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features. The term "and/or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In the description, when an element is referred to as being "on," "attached to," connected to, "coupled to," or "contacting" another element, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or contacting the other element, or intervening elements may be present.

Referring to fig. 1-4, a radome assembly 100 is illustrated in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. The radome assembly 100 may be used for an integrated base station antenna integrated with a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module.

As shown more clearly in fig. 2, the radome assembly 100 may include a radome 110 and a cover plate 120. The radome 110 and the cover plate 120 may define an inner space for mounting related components (e.g., a reflection plate, an antenna element unit, etc.) of the 4G antenna module. The 5G antenna module may be mounted on the cover plate 120 at the outside of the cover plate 120.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the cover plate 120 is configured to include a first section 121 and a second section 122. The first section 121 and the second section 122 may be constructed as separate components (see fig. 3, which shows a separate second section 122), and the first section 121 and the second section 122 may be connected to each other by any suitable means.

The 5G antenna module may be mounted on the second section 122 outside the second section 122. To this end, at least a portion of the second section 122 may be provided with a recess 123 for accommodating at least a portion of a 5G antenna module. The recess 123 may have a generally U-shaped cross-section such that the recess 123 has a substantially flat bottom 124 and two vertically extending sidewalls 125.

Constructing the first section 121 and the second section 122 of the cover plate 120 as separate components can help to simplify the manufacturing process of the cover plate 120 and help to reduce the manufacturing cost of the cover plate 120. Conventionally, the cover plate 120 is generally manufactured using an extrusion process. However, the presence of the recess 123 increases the structural complexity of the cover plate 120, making it difficult to continue to use the extrusion process. If the entire cap plate 120 is manufactured using an injection molding process, a mold matching the entire cap plate 120 is required, which increases manufacturing costs. In particular, for base station antennas of different lengths, the cover plates 120 thereof also have different lengths, which requires different length molds for each length of the cover plates 120, thereby increasing the number of molds required and further increasing the manufacturing cost. The first and

second sections

121 and 122 of the cap plate 120 are constructed as separate parts, so that the first and

second sections

121 and 122 can be manufactured by different processes, respectively, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the cap plate 120 and reducing the manufacturing cost. In particular, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the first section 121 of the cover plate 120 may be made of, for example, glass fiber reinforced plastic by extrusion, while the second section 122 of the cover plate 120 may be made of, for example, other high strength plastic by injection molding. The second section 122 of the cover plate 120 may also be made by a sheet molding compound formation process. In the SMC forming process, glass fibers (typically short glass fibers), resins (typically unsaturated polyester resins), and fillers (typically calcium carbonate) are laid in a mold (such as a metal mold) and pressure is applied to the mold by a press while these materials are heated so that they flow within the mold to fill the cavity and cure and set to form the corresponding product. The formed sheet molding compound product has the advantages of high mechanical strength, light material weight, corrosion resistance, long service life, electric arc resistance, flame retardance, good sealing performance and the like.

The second section 122 of the cover plate 120 may maintain the same length for base station antennas of different lengths, and thus it may be manufactured using the same mold instead of molds of different lengths, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. The length of the first section 121 of the cover plate 120 may be changed to be adapted to the length of the base station antenna, however, since the first section 121 of the cover plate 120 may be manufactured by extrusion and a mold is not required, the manufacturing cost of the cover plate 120 is not increased.

In addition, when the second section 122 of the cover plate 120 is formed by a sheet molding compound forming process, since the formed sheet molding compound and the glass fiber reinforced plastic have substantially the same or similar thermal expansion coefficients, when the first section 121 and the second section 122 of the cover plate are connected together, the two sections do not affect each other due to the different thermal expansion coefficients.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, the radome 110 may be configured to have a generally U-shaped cross-section such that the radome 110 has a substantially flat bottom 111 and two sidewalls 112 extending vertically. The sidewall 112 may include an upper surface 113. Accordingly, the first section 121 and the second section 122 of the cover plate 110 may include an outer rim 126 capable of resting on the upper surface 113. The radome assembly 100 is assembled by resting the outer rim 126 of the cover plate 120 on the upper surface 113 of the sidewall 112 of the radome 110 and fixedly attaching the same. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the outer rim 126 of the cover plate 120 and the upper surface 113 of the sidewall 112 of the radome 110 may be snapped together. Suitable snap structures may be provided on the bottom surface of the outer rim 126 of the cover plate 120 and the upper surface 113 of the sidewall 112 of the radome 110, respectively. In addition, similar to the first section 121 of the cover plate 120, the radome 110 may be made of, for example, glass fiber reinforced plastic by extrusion.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the radome assembly 100 may include a stiffener 130. The stiffener 130 may be used to reinforce the strength of the radome assembly 100 and to secure the 5G antenna module. The stiffener 130 may be a metal stiffener. The stiffener 130 may be configured as an "I" beam or the like. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 2, the free end of the sidewall 112 of the radome 110 may include a cavity structure 114. The cavity structure 114 may be generally rectangular. The stiffener 130 may be disposed within the cavity structure 114. When assembling the radome 110, the cover plate 120, and the stiffener 130 into the radome assembly 100, the radome 110, the cover plate 120, and the stiffener 130 may be fastened together using fastening elements 131 (e.g., screws, etc.). For this, holes (such as screw holes, etc.) through which the fastening members 110 extend may be provided on the upper surface 113 of the radome 110, the outer edge 126 of the cover plate 120, and the reinforcing bars 130. In addition, the cavity structure 114 may also function as a drain in addition to placing the stiffener 130. When the base station antenna is installed outdoors, rainwater or the like may flow inside the cavity structure 114 without entering the inside of the radome assembly 100, so that the antenna components disposed inside the radome assembly 100 can be effectively protected.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the radome assembly 100 may further include a plurality of support elements 140 for mounting the 5G antenna module. The plurality of support members 140 may be fixed to the outer sides of both sidewalls 112 of the radome 110 at a region corresponding to where the 5G antenna module is located, and may protrude upward by a certain distance (as shown in fig. 1 and 4). The support member 140 may be fastened to the reinforcing bar 130 via a fastening member to enhance its supporting strength. Any number of support members 140 may be provided as desired.

Referring to fig. 5, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the radome assembly 100 may further include one or more mounting brackets 150 to facilitate mounting of the integrated base station antenna containing the radome assembly 100 on a corresponding pole. When multiple mounting brackets 150 are included, some of the mounting brackets 150 may be secured to the cover plate 120 of the radome assembly 100 (e.g., on the first section 121 of the cover plate 120); while others of the mounting brackets 150 may be fastened to the reinforcing bar 130 using fastening members to enhance the supporting strength thereof.

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 present disclosure. Accordingly, all changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A radome assembly for an integrated base station antenna integrated with a 4G antenna module and a 5G antenna module, the radome assembly comprising a radome and a cover plate, wherein the radome and cover plate define an interior space for mounting the 4G antenna module, and wherein the cover plate comprises a first section and a second section, the first and second sections being configured as separate components, the 5G antenna module being adapted for mounting on the second section externally of the second section.

2. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein the second segment is provided with a recess for receiving at least a portion of the 5G antenna module.

3. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein the radome and cover plate are configured to snap-fit to one another.

4. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein the radome is configured with a U-shaped cross-section such that the radome has a substantially flat bottom and two sidewalls extending vertically, wherein a free end of each sidewall includes a cavity structure.

5. The radome assembly of claim 1 wherein the radome assembly includes a stiffener for reinforcing the strength of the radome assembly and for securing the 5G antenna module.

6. The radome assembly of claim 5, wherein the stiffener is a metal stiffener.

7. The radome assembly of claim 5, wherein the stiffener has an I-beam configuration.

8. The radome assembly of claim 5, wherein the radome is configured with a U-shaped cross-section such that the radome has a substantially flat bottom and two sidewalls extending vertically, wherein a free end of each sidewall includes a cavity structure, and wherein the stiffener is disposed within the cavity structure.

9. The radome assembly of claim 8, wherein the cavity structure has a rectangular cross-section.

10. The radome assembly of claim 8, wherein the radome, cover plate, and stiffener are fastened together by a fastening element when the radome assembly is assembled.

11. The radome assembly of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of support members for mounting the 5G antenna module.

12. The radome assembly of claim 11, wherein the plurality of support members are fixed to both sides of the radome at regions corresponding to where the 5G antenna modules are located.

13. The radome assembly of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of support members for mounting the 5G antenna module, the plurality of support members being secured to the stiffener via fastening members.

14. The radome assembly of claim 5, further comprising one or more mounting brackets for mounting the integrated base station antenna on a respective pole.

15. The radome assembly of claim 14, wherein the radome assembly comprises a plurality of mounting brackets, some of the plurality of mounting brackets being secured to a cover plate of the radome assembly and others of the plurality of mounting brackets being secured to the stiffener.

16. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein the first section of the cover plate is made by extrusion and the second section of the cover plate is made by injection molding.

17. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the cover plate is made by extrusion and the second segment of the cover plate is made by a sheet molding compound forming process.

18. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the cover plate is formed of a glass fiber reinforced plastic and the second segment of the cover plate is formed of a sheet molding compound.

19. The radome assembly of claim 1, wherein a first section of the cover plate is formed of a first polymer material and a second section of the cover plate is formed of a second polymer material different from the first polymer material.

20. An integrated base station antenna comprising 4G and 5G antenna modules, and a radome assembly according to any one of claims 1-19.