CN216200183U - Transmission mechanism and antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a transmission mechanism and an antenna, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises: a drive shaft; and a stop assembly, the stop assembly comprising: the surface of the base is provided with a first thread; and a rotating member provided on the driving shaft and capable of rotating with the driving shaft, a second thread matching the first thread being formed on a surface of the rotating member, wherein at least one of the base and the rotating member is provided with a stopper, and when the driving shaft rotates, the rotating member rotates with the driving shaft and forms a relative sliding with the base via the engagement of the first thread and the second thread; when the stopping part is abutted against the base or the rotating part, the relative sliding between the base and the rotating part is stopped. Because the stop component adopts fewer parts, the structure fit clearance is correspondingly reduced, the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifter can be more accurately calibrated, and the phase adjusting precision is improved.

Description

Transmission mechanism and antenna

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of mobile communication antennas, in particular to a transmission mechanism and an antenna comprising the same.

Background

In the field of mobile communications, antenna downtilt is an important technical parameter. The angle, strength and area of the mobile signal coverage will vary with the antenna downtilt angle. In practical applications, the antenna downtilt angle usually needs to be adjusted according to different situations. With the development of the technology, the electrically tunable antenna capable of electrically adjusting the downward inclination angle is more and more widely applied. In an electrically tunable antenna, a plurality of small phase shifters are usually arranged, which are connected to a transmission device and to a plurality of radiating elements, respectively, via a feed network. When the electrical downtilt is adjusted, the motor operates under the control of the control system, and the transmission device drives the dielectric plate of the phase shifter to drive the phase shifter to move, so that each radiation unit or the combination of the radiation units obtains differential phase adjustment, and the downtilt of the antenna is further changed.

In order to improve the accuracy of the phase adjustment, it is necessary to calibrate the initial phase shift position of the phase shifter. The traditional transmission device adopts a combination of a screw rod, a base and a nut to provide a rotation starting position (corresponding to an initial phase shifting position of a phase shifter) for a motor, however, the combination adopts three parts, so that a larger structural fit clearance exists, the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifter is not accurate enough, and further the phase adjustment generates errors.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

As described above, in the transmission device in the prior art, a combination of a screw, a base and a nut is used to provide a rotation start position for a motor, and the combination adopts three parts, so that a large structural fit clearance exists, which causes an inaccurate initial phase shift position of a phase shifter, and further causes an error in phase adjustment.

In view of the above technical problem, a first aspect of the present invention provides a transmission mechanism, including: a drive shaft; and a stop assembly, the stop assembly comprising: a base, a surface of which forms a first thread; and a rotating member provided on the drive shaft and rotatable therewith, a surface of the rotating member forming a second thread matching the first thread, wherein at least one of the base and the rotating member is provided with a stopper portion; when the driving shaft rotates, the rotating part rotates along with the driving shaft and forms relative sliding with the base through the meshing of the first thread and the second thread; when the stopping part abuts against the base or the rotating part, the base and the rotating part stop sliding relatively.

In the utility model, the stop component comprises two parts, namely a base and a rotating part. Compared with the prior art, the stop component adopts fewer parts, and the structural fit clearance is correspondingly reduced, so that the stop component can be used for calibrating the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifter more accurately, and the precision of phase adjustment is improved. Meanwhile, the difficulty of assembly is reduced by fewer parts, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the cost benefit is higher.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the base is slidably mounted, and the rotating member is fixedly mounted on the driving shaft.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the base is fixedly installed, and the rotating member is slidably installed on the driving shaft.

In an embodiment according to the present invention, the stopper is disposed on the base; when the drive shaft rotates, the rotating member slides in the axial direction of the drive shaft; when the stopping part abuts against the rotating part, the base and the rotating part stop sliding relatively.

In an embodiment according to the utility model, the stop is at either end of the first thread.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the base has first engaging portions at both ends of the first thread, respectively, and the rotating member has second engaging portions at both ends of the second thread, respectively, the first engaging portions and the second engaging portions being in contact with each other when the rotating member is stopped by the stopper portion.

In an embodiment according to the utility model, the transmission mechanism further comprises: at least one driven shaft, which is respectively staggered with the driving shaft; and at least one reversing assembly respectively corresponding to one of the at least one driven shaft and used for driving the corresponding driven shaft to synchronously rotate when the driving shaft rotates, wherein each reversing assembly comprises: a worm provided on one of the drive shaft and the driven shaft; a first gear provided on the other of the drive shaft and the driven shaft; and the reversing mechanism is meshed with the worm and the first gear.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, the worm is provided on the drive shaft, and the first gear is provided on the driven shaft.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, neither the worm nor the first gear is located on a common perpendicular line to the drive shaft and the driven shaft.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, the distance between the drive shaft and the driven shaft is smaller than the radius of the first gear.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, the reversing mechanism comprises at least one second gear.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, the lead angle of the worm is smaller than the friction angle between the second gear and the worm.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, the first gear and the second gear are both helical gears.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, the diameter of the second gear is smaller than the diameter of the first gear.

In one embodiment according to the utility model, the axis of the second gear is parallel to the driven shaft, wherein the distance between the axis of the second gear and the drive shaft is greater than the distance between the driven shaft and the drive shaft.

In an embodiment according to the present invention, each of the reversing assemblies further includes a limiting mechanism, and the limiting mechanism includes: a housing; and a partition plate located within and connected to the housing to form a spacing space together with the housing, in which the worm, the reversing mechanism and the first gear are accommodated in an assembled state.

A second aspect of the utility model proposes an antenna comprising: a reflective plate; at least one phase shifter; and a transmission according to any one of the embodiments of the first aspect.

A third aspect of the utility model provides an antenna comprising: a reflection plate provided with an accommodation groove; at least one phase shifter; and the transmission mechanism according to any one of the embodiments including the reversing assembly of the first aspect, wherein the reversing assembly of the transmission mechanism is at least partially accommodated in the accommodating groove.

Drawings

Embodiments are shown and described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are provided to illustrate the basic principles and thus only show the aspects necessary for understanding the basic principles. The figures are not to scale. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate similar features.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a transmission mechanism including a reversing assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of another angle of the spacing mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the mounting of the actuator of FIG. 1 on an antenna reflector plate;

FIG. 4 shows a partial enlarged view of region B of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a stop assembly included in a drive mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views showing another angle of the base and rotating member, respectively, of the stop assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded schematic view of a drive mechanism including a reversing assembly and a stop assembly, prior to assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 8 shows a schematic view of the transmission mechanism of fig. 7 after it has been connected to the motor and the phase shifter.

Other features, characteristics, advantages and benefits of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of example, specific embodiments in which the utility model may be practiced. The illustrated embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive of all embodiments according to the utility model. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

The technical problem in the prior art is that the transmission device of the electrically tunable antenna in the prior art is often realized by using large-area metal plates or some complex mechanical structures, and it is difficult to make multiple groups of phase shifters move smoothly and consistently, which affects the working precision of the phase shifters and the adjustment precision of the electrical downtilt angle.

In order to solve the technical problems, the utility model provides a transmission mechanism. Referring to fig. 1, the transmission mechanism includes a driving shaft 1, a driven shaft 2 disposed alternately with the driving shaft 1, and a reversing assembly 3. It should be understood that only one driven shaft 2 and one reversing assembly 3 are shown in fig. 1 for simplicity. However, the transmission mechanism may include a plurality of driven shafts 2, each of which is staggered from the driving shaft 1, and a plurality of reversing assemblies 3, each of which 3 corresponds to one of the plurality of driven shafts 2. The driving shaft 1 is rotated by an external driving force, which may be a driving force directly or indirectly provided by a motor, or a driving force directly or indirectly provided manually. In other words, the transmission mechanism can be applied to both the electrically tunable antenna and the hand tunable antenna. When applied in an electrically tunable antenna, the drive shaft 1 may be directly or indirectly connected to a motor. The reversing assembly 3 is used for driving the corresponding driven shaft 2 to synchronously rotate when the driving shaft 1 rotates. The reversing assembly 3 comprises a worm 31, a reversing mechanism 32 and a first gear 33. As shown in fig. 1, neither the worm 31 nor the first gear 33 is disposed on the common vertical line of the drive shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2. In other words, the worm 31 is not disposed directly above the first gear 33. The worm 31 is provided on the drive shaft 1 and can rotate with the drive shaft 1. Although in the present embodiment, neither the worm 31 nor the first gear 33 is disposed on the common vertical line of the driving shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2, it is understood that in other embodiments, one of the worm 31 and the first gear 33 may be disposed on the common vertical line of the driving shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2. The reversing mechanism 32 is engaged with the worm 31. The first gear 33 is provided on the driven shaft 2 and meshes with the reversing mechanism 32. In some embodiments, it is also possible to arrange the worm 31 on the driven shaft 2 and the first gear 33 on the driving shaft 1. In the embodiment of fig. 1, the reversing mechanism 32 is a second gear, and is a helical gear with the first gear 33. However, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the reversing mechanism 32 may be a combination of multiple gears. Alternatively, the reversing mechanism 32 may have other structures as long as the reversing function is realized. In the embodiment of fig. 1, the axis of the second gear 32 is parallel to the driven shaft 2, and the distance between the axis of the second gear 32 and the driving shaft 1 is greater than the distance between the driven shaft 2 and the driving shaft 1. The output shaft 2 is connected to at least one phase shifter (not shown in fig. 1) and, when rotated, drives the at least one phase shifter into a synchronous phase adjustment.

In fig. 1, the worm 31 is shown with a first central hole 311 matching the drive shaft 1. The cross sections of the drive shaft 1 and the first center hole 311 are non-perfect circles, for example, the cross sections of the drive shaft 1 and the first center hole 311 are both kidney-shaped. The worm 31 is fitted and circumferentially fixed to the drive shaft 1 via the first center hole 311. First gear 33 is shown having a second central bore 331 that mates with driven shaft 2, e.g., driven shaft 2 and second central bore 331 are each kidney-shaped in cross-section. The first gear 33 is sleeved and circumferentially fixed on the driven shaft 2 through the second center hole 331. In some embodiments, the worm 31 may be provided on the drive shaft 1 in other forms and the first gear 33 may also be provided on the driven shaft 2 in other forms, for example, neither the worm 31 nor the first gear 33 has a central hole, but is integrally formed with the drive shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2, respectively.

As shown in fig. 1, in this embodiment, the reversing assembly 3 further comprises a limiting mechanism 34. The stopper mechanism 34 includes a housing 341 and a partition 342. A partition 342 is located within the housing 341, is connected to the housing 341 and forms with the housing 341 a limit space 343, the limit space 343 being sized to match the size of the worm 31, the reversing mechanism 32 and the first gear 33. In the assembled state, the worm 31, the reversing mechanism 32, and the first gear 33 are accommodated in the limit space 343, thereby preventing displacement of the worm 31, the reversing mechanism 32, and the first gear 33. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the housing 341 is provided with a first through hole 351 and a second through hole 352 which are oppositely arranged, and a third through hole 353 and a fourth through hole 354 which are oppositely arranged. The partition 342 includes first and second portions perpendicular to each other, and the first and second portions are provided with fifth and sixth through holes 355 and 356, respectively. Fifth through hole 355 is aligned with first through hole 351 and second through hole 352, and sixth through hole 356 is aligned with third through hole 353 and fourth through hole 354. In the assembled state, the driving shaft 1 passes through the first through hole 351, the fifth through hole 355, and the second through hole 352 in this order, and the driven shaft 2 passes through the third through hole 353, the sixth through hole 356, and the fourth through hole 354 in this order.

With continued reference to fig. 1 and 2, a pair of first positioning portions 361 and 362 are provided on both side walls of the housing 341, and a pair of second positioning portions 321 and 322 are provided on both ends of the reversing mechanism 32. In fig. 1 and 2, the pair of first positioning portions 361 and 362 is shown in the form of apertures, and the pair of second positioning portions 321 and 322 is shown in the form of projections. In the assembled state, the pair of projections 321 are inserted into the corresponding openings 361 or 362, respectively, to position the switch mechanism 32. In some embodiments, the first positioning portion and the second positioning portion may have other numbers and forms as long as the reversing mechanism can be positioned by fitting each other.

As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, the housing 341 is further provided with three first fixing portions 371 and 373 for directly or indirectly fixing and connecting with other components (such as the reflection plate) of the antenna. In fig. 1 and 2, each of the first fixing portions extends outward from the outer surface of the housing 341 and has an opening through which a fixing member such as a fixing pin can be passed and fixed to other parts of the antenna. In some embodiments, the first fixing portions may have other numbers and forms as long as the housing 341 and other components of the antenna can be directly or indirectly fixedly connected. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the spacing mechanism 34 shown in fig. 1 and 2 is merely exemplary and may have other configurations. In addition, the reversing assembly 3 may not include the limiting mechanism 34, and the limiting is performed by other methods.

In the above embodiment, by changing the transmission direction of the output power of the driving shaft by using the reversing assembly, the number of phase shifters can be conveniently increased while the synchronism and uniformity of the movement of the phase shifters are ensured, the expansibility is better, and the weight and cost of transmission are also lower. In addition, the reversing is performed by means of the worm transmission, so that a large reduction ratio is realized, the transmission precision is improved, and a plurality of phase shifters can be driven under the action of small driving force, so that when the electric tuning antenna is applied to an electric tuning antenna, the phase shifters can be driven by using a low-power motor. Moreover, the rigidity of the shaft further ensures the consistency of rotation, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the movement of the phase shifter.

In some embodiments, the reversing mechanism 32 is a second gear, and the lead angle of the worm 31 is designed to be smaller than the friction angle between the second gear and the worm 31, so as to realize reverse self-locking and keep the phase shifter stable in operation.

In addition, the traditional transmission device adopts a complex mechanical structure, so that the occupied area is large, the thickness is large, the available space inside the antenna is very limited along with the light weight, the miniaturization and the miniaturization of an antenna product, the traditional transmission device is difficult to arrange in the traditional transmission device, and the transmission mechanism of the utility model enables the driving shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2 to be arranged in a staggered way through the reversing mechanism 32, so that the distance between the driving shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2 can be set to be smaller than the radius of the first gear 33 and the worm 31. Therefore, the height of the transmission mechanism can be reduced, so that the occupied space is reduced, and the flattening, the lightening and thinning and the miniaturization of the whole antenna product are realized.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the mounting of the actuator of fig. 1 on the antenna reflection plate, and fig. 4 is a partial enlarged view of a region B in fig. 3. The reflecting plate 5 is provided with a receiving groove (not shown in fig. 3 and 4) having a shape matching the shape of the projection of the reversing mechanism 32 on the reflecting plate 5. When the transmission mechanism is mounted on the reflection plate 5, a part of the reversing mechanism 32 is accommodated in the accommodation groove, thereby reducing the thickness of the entire antenna product. In addition, the three first fixing portions 371 and 373 of the stopper mechanism 34 are aligned with three fixing engagement portions (only two fixing engagement portions 511 and 512 are shown in the perspective view of fig. 5) on the reflection plate 5, respectively, and the stopper mechanism 34 is fixed to the reflection plate 5 by a fixing member such as a fixing pin.

In the transmission device of the electrically tunable antenna in the prior art, besides the technical problem that the plurality of groups of phase shifters are difficult to move stably and consistently and cause the working precision of the phase shifters and the adjustment precision of the electrical downtilt to be affected, a technical problem also exists in that the conventional transmission device adopts a combination of a screw rod, a base and a nut to provide a rotation starting position (corresponding to an initial phase shifting position of the phase shifters) for a motor, however, because the combination adopts three parts, a large structural fit clearance exists, the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifters is not accurate enough, and further, the phase adjustment generates errors.

In view of the above technical problem, in an embodiment of the present invention, the transmission mechanism further includes a stop assembly for accurately calibrating an initial phase shift position of the phase shifter. FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the stop assembly; fig. 6A and 6B show schematic views of another angle of the base and rotating member, respectively, in the stop assembly of fig. 5. Referring to fig. 5 and 6A-6B together, stop assembly 4 includes a base 41 and a rotating member 42. A surface 411 of the base 41 forms a first thread 412. The rotation member 42 is provided on the drive shaft 1 and is rotatable with the drive shaft 1, and a surface of the rotation member 42 is formed with a second screw 421 matching the first screw 412. When the drive shaft 1 rotates, the rotating member 42 rotates with the drive shaft 1 and forms relative sliding with the base 41 via the engagement of the first screw 412 and the second screw 421. The base 41 and/or the rotating member 42 are provided with a stopper, and when the stopper abuts against the base 41 or the rotating member 42, the relative sliding between the base 41 and the rotating member 42 is stopped. In the assembled state, the position of the stop corresponds to an initial phase shift position of the at least one phase shifter.

In fig. 5, the rotating member 42 is shown in the form of a lead screw having a third central bore 422 matching the drive shaft 1, e.g. the drive shaft 1 and the third central bore 422 are each kidney-shaped in cross-section. The rotating member 42 is fitted around and circumferentially fixed to the drive shaft 1 via the third center hole 422. In some embodiments, the rotational member 42 may be provided on the drive shaft 1 in other forms, for example, the rotational member 42 does not have a central hole but is integrally formed with the drive shaft 1.

Although in fig. 5, the first screw thread 412 is recessed inward from the surface 411 of the base 41, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the first screw thread 411 may be provided on the surface 411 of the base 41 in other forms. As shown in fig. 5, the base 41 also has two ends 413 and 414 disposed opposite to each other, and the surface 411 is located between the two ends 413 and 414. The two ends 413 and 414 extend beyond the surface 411 and are each provided with a through hole for the passage of the drive shaft 1. In addition, six second fixing portions 417 are disposed on the base 42, wherein two second fixing portions extend outwards from the middle portion of the base 42, and the other four second fixing portions extend outwards from two end portions 413 and 414 of the base 42 respectively, and are used for directly or indirectly fixing and connecting with other components (such as a reflection plate) of the antenna. Each of the second fixing portions 417 has an opening through which a fixing member such as a fixing pin can be passed and fixed to other parts of the antenna. In some embodiments, the second fixing portion 417 may have other numbers and forms, as long as the base 42 can be directly or indirectly fixedly connected with other components of the antenna.

In the embodiment of fig. 5, the stop is either end 415 or 416 of the first thread 412. The drive shaft 1 is directly or indirectly connected to a drive shaft of a motor (not shown in fig. 5 and 6A-6B) and is rotated by the motor. When the transmission mechanism and the phase shifter are assembled, the end 415 or 416 of the first thread 412 is selected as a stopper, and when the base 41 is fixed, the position of the stopper and the initial phase shift position of the phase shifter are set correspondingly. At the same time, corresponding settings are made in the control system of the motor, such as the direction of rotation of the motor. In an assembled state, when the initial phase shift position needs to be calibrated, the control system controls the motor to continuously rotate in a preset rotation direction, and the driving shaft 1 rotates under the driving of the motor. The chassis 41 is fixed to other components (such as a reflection plate) of the antenna via the second fixing portion 417, and thus is kept stationary. The rotating member 42 rotates with the drive shaft 1 and slides along the drive shaft 1 towards the selected end of the first thread 412. When the rotating member 42 reaches the end, the rotating member 42 stops rotating and axially slides. This provides the motor with a rotational start position indicating that the phase shifter to which the transmission mechanism is connected has reached the initial phase shift position. At this time, the control system of the motor controls the motor to rotate in the reverse direction, and the driving shaft 1 also rotates in the reverse direction under the driving of the motor, so as to start to shift the phase of the phase shifter.

Although the rotary member 42 is shown in fig. 5 as sliding along the drive shaft 1 with the base 41 in a fixed position, in some embodiments, the rotary member 42 may be arranged to be fixed in the circumferential and axial directions of the drive shaft 1, i.e., not to slide along the drive shaft 1, while the base 41 may be arranged to be slidable along the drive shaft 1. In short, the base 41 and the rotating member 42 may be relatively slid by the engagement of the first screw 412 and the second screw 421 by the driving of the driving shaft 1.

Furthermore, fig. 5 and 6A-6B show only one example of the stopping portion, and it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the stopping portion may be located at other positions and/or have other forms as long as it can stop the relative sliding between the base 41 and the rotating member 42 and/or the rotation of the rotating member 42. In some embodiments, the stop may be located at other positions of the base 41, such as at any position of the first thread 412, to stop the rotation and/or sliding of the rotating member 42. In some embodiments, the stop may also be located on the rotating component 42. In some embodiments, stopping portions may be provided on both the base 41 and the rotating member 42, for example, two stopping portions that are engaged with each other are provided at appropriate positions of the base 41 and the rotating member 42, respectively. It will be appreciated that the position of the stop needs to be set to correspond to the initial phase shift position of the phaser when assembling the transmission mechanism and the phaser.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the base 41 has a pair of first engaging portions 418 and 419 at both ends 415 and 416 of the first screw 412, respectively, and the rotating mechanism 42 has a pair of second engaging portions 423 and 424 at both ends of the second screw 421, respectively. Referring to fig. 5 and 6A-6B, when rotating member 42 reaches end 416 of first thread 412, first mating portion 419 and second mating portion 424 contact each other. Likewise, if the rotating mechanism 42 slides along the drive shaft 1 toward the other end 415 of the first screw 412 and reaches the end 415, the other first fitting portion 418 and the other second fitting portion 423 contact each other.

In the above embodiment, the stop assembly includes two parts, a base and a rotating member. Compared with the prior art, the stop component adopts fewer parts, and the structural fit clearance is correspondingly reduced, so that the stop component can be used for calibrating the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifter more accurately, and the precision of phase adjustment is improved. Meanwhile, the difficulty of assembly is reduced by fewer parts, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the cost benefit is higher.

Reference is next made to fig. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 illustrates an exploded schematic view of a drive mechanism including a reversing assembly and a stop assembly, prior to assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 shows a schematic view of the transmission mechanism of fig. 7 after it has been connected to the motor and the phase shifter. In this embodiment, the transmission comprises two driven shafts 2 and 2 'and two reversing assemblies 3 and 3'. The drive shaft 1 is connected to a drive shaft of the motor 61 and is rotated by the motor 61. The two output shafts 2 and 2' are respectively arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the drive shaft 1. Two reversing assemblies 3 and 3 'convert the rotation of the driving shaft 1 into the rotation of the driven shafts 2 and 2', respectively. It will be appreciated that the drive shaft 1 need not be directly connected to the drive shaft of the motor 61, but may be indirectly driven by the motor 61, for example, by converting rotation of the drive shaft of the motor 61 into rotation of the drive shaft 1 using the reversing assembly 3.

In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism further includes a stopping assembly 4 as shown in fig. 5, but it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the reversing assembly 3 is intended to solve the technical problem that the conventional transmission structure is difficult to make the phase shifter move smoothly and uniformly, thereby affecting the working precision of the phase shifter and the adjustment precision of the electrical downtilt, and the stopping assembly 4 is intended to solve the technical problem that the conventional stopping structure has a large structure fit clearance, thereby causing the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifter to be inaccurate, so the transmission mechanism does not have to have the reversing assembly 3 and the stopping assembly 4 at the same time, and they can be applied to different transmission mechanisms respectively. However, the transmission mechanism with both the reversing assembly 3 and the stop assembly 4 can solve both the above-mentioned technical problems at the same time.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, two driving assemblies 62 are provided on each driven shaft symmetrically with respect to the reversing assembly 3, each driving assembly 62 being adapted to drive the phase shifter 63 to shift the phase via rotation of the driven shaft. Specifically, each drive assembly 62 includes a worm circumferentially fixed to the driven shaft and a fixing mechanism for defining the position of the worm, the fixing mechanism being fixed to other components of the antenna (e.g., a reflection plate) via a fixing member. The worm of the drive assembly 62 meshes with the external gear of the phaser 63. When the driven shaft rotates, the worm of the driving assembly 62 rotates along with the driven shaft, and the external gear of the phase shifter 63 is driven to rotate, so that phase adjustment is performed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure of the driving assembly 62 is not limited to the form shown in fig. 7 and 8, as long as the phase shifter 63 can be driven to shift the phase by the driven shaft 2 or 2'.

In this embodiment, the rotating assembly 42 is stopped with one end of the first thread on the base 41 as a stopper. By the prearrangement, the position of the end corresponds to the initial phase shift position of the plurality of phase shifters 63 (i.e., the operation start position of the motor). When it is necessary to calibrate the initial phase position of the phase shifter, the motor 61, under the control of the control system, drives the drive shaft 1 to rotate continuously, so that the rotating member 42 rotates with the drive shaft 1 and slides along the drive shaft 1 towards the end of the first thread (i.e. the stop). Meanwhile, the rotation of the driving shaft 1 is transmitted to the driven shafts 2 and 2 'via the reversing assemblies 3 and 3', and the plurality of phase shifters are moved toward their initial shift positions by the driving of the plurality of driving assemblies 62. When the rotating member 42 reaches the end, the rotating member 42 cannot rotate and slide further, and the second engaging portion thereof abuts against the first engaging portion at the end. At this time, the plurality of phase shifters 63 are at their initial phase shift positions, and the control system controls the motor 61 to perform reverse rotation, so that the plurality of phase shifters 63 start phase shifting. Because the stop component adopts fewer parts, the structural fit clearance is correspondingly reduced, the initial phase shifting position of the phase shifter can be more accurately calibrated by using the stop component, and the precision of phase adjustment is improved. Meanwhile, the difficulty of assembly is reduced by fewer parts, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the cost benefit is higher.

During the phase shifting, the motor 61 determines, by means of a control signal sent by the control system, the number of revolutions corresponding to the phase to be adjusted by the phase shifter 63. The driving shaft 1 is rotated by the motor 61, the reversing assemblies 3 and 3 'convert the rotation of the driving shaft 1 into the rotation of the two driven shafts 2 and 2', and the plurality of phase shifters 63 perform synchronous phase adjustment by the driving of the plurality of driving assemblies 62. At the same time, the rotational member 42 rotates with the drive shaft 1 and slides along the drive shaft 1. Since the first thread on the base 41 has a sufficient length, the rotating member 42 does not reach the end of the first thread and is stopped during phase shifting. Reversing by means of worm transmission realizes a large reduction ratio, improves transmission precision and can drive a plurality of phase shifters under the action of small driving force. Moreover, the rigidity of the shaft further ensures the consistency of rotation, thereby ensuring the smoothness of the movement of the phase shifter.

For simplicity, only four phase shifters are shown in the embodiments of fig. 7 and 8, but those skilled in the art will understand that in an antenna product, especially a MIMO antenna, there are typically tens (e.g., 16, 32, 64, etc.) of phase shifters and radiating elements. Therefore, more phase shifters can be arranged on the driven shafts 2 and 2 'according to requirements, or a plurality of driven shafts 2 and 2' and corresponding reversing assemblies 3 can be added, and each driven shaft can be provided with a plurality of phase shifters. The particular arrangement of the phase shifter 63 on the driven shaft (e.g., symmetrical with respect to the reversing assembly 3 or on the side of the reversing assembly 3) may also be determined as desired (e.g., the amount of space within the antenna). It should also be understood that a plurality of third shafts and a corresponding plurality of reversing assemblies may be interleaved on each driven shaft to convert rotation of the driven shaft into rotation of the third shafts via the reversing assemblies to drive a plurality of phase shifters connected to the drive shaft, the driven shaft, and/or the third shafts for synchronized phase adjustment. Therefore, the transmission mechanism can be used for conveniently increasing the number of phase shifters, has better expansibility, and is lower in transmission weight and cost.

In the embodiment of fig. 7 and 8, stop assembly 4 is disposed at the rear of drive shaft 1, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the location of stop assembly 4 may be set as desired, such as by disposing stop assembly 4 at the front of drive shaft 1 (e.g., between driven shaft 2 and motor 61) or at the middle of drive shaft 1 (e.g., between two driven shafts 2 and 2').

In addition, the present invention also provides an antenna, comprising: a reflective plate; at least one phase shifter; and a transmission mechanism according to any one of the above embodiments. In some embodiments, a receiving slot is formed in the reflector plate, and a portion of the reversing mechanism 32 is received in the receiving slot, thereby reducing the height of the transmission mechanism. The accommodating groove can be provided as required. For example, when the diameter of the reversing mechanism 32 (e.g., the second gear) is greater than or equal to the diameter of the first gear 33, an accommodation groove must be provided to shorten the distance between the driven shaft 2 and the reflection plate, thereby reducing the thickness of the antenna assembly; and when the diameter of the reversing mechanism 32 is smaller than that of the first gear 33, the accommodating groove may not be provided. Ideally, the distance between the drive shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2 is close to zero, i.e. as long as there is no friction between the drive shaft 1 and the driven shaft 2. In some embodiments, a portion of the reversing mechanism 32 and a portion of the first gear 33 may be accommodated in the accommodating groove, so as to further shorten the distance between the driven shaft 2 and the reflection plate. In an ideal case, the distance between the driven shaft 2 and the reflection plate is close to zero.

While various exemplary embodiments of the utility model have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made which will achieve one or more of the advantages of the utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model. Other components performing the same function may be substituted as appropriate by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that features explained herein with reference to a particular figure may be combined with features of other figures, even in those cases where this is not explicitly mentioned. Such modifications to the solution according to the utility model are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. A transmission mechanism, characterized in that it comprises:

a drive shaft; and

a stop assembly, the stop assembly comprising:

a base, a surface of which forms a first thread; and

a rotating member provided on the drive shaft and rotatable with the drive shaft, a surface of the rotating member being formed with a second thread matching the first thread, wherein,

at least one of the base and the rotating part is provided with a stopping part;

when the driving shaft rotates, the rotating part rotates along with the driving shaft and forms relative sliding with the base through the meshing of the first thread and the second thread; when the stopping part abuts against the base or the rotating part, the base and the rotating part stop sliding relatively.

2. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base is slidably mounted and said rotatable member is fixedly mounted on said drive shaft.

3. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base is fixedly mounted and said rotatable member is slidably mounted on said drive shaft.

4. The transmission mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein the stop is disposed on the base; when the drive shaft rotates, the rotating member slides in the axial direction of the drive shaft; when the stopping part abuts against the rotating part, the base and the rotating part stop sliding relatively.

5. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 4 wherein the stop is either end of the first thread.

6. The transmission mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the base has first engaging portions at both ends of the first thread, respectively, and the rotational member has second engaging portions at both ends of the second thread, respectively, the first engaging portions and the second engaging portions being in contact with each other when the rotational member is stopped by the stopper portion.

7. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

at least one driven shaft, which is respectively staggered with the driving shaft; and

at least one reversing assembly, each corresponding to one of the at least one driven shafts, for driving the corresponding driven shaft to rotate synchronously when the driving shaft rotates, each reversing assembly comprising:

a worm provided on one of the drive shaft and the driven shaft;

a first gear provided on the other of the drive shaft and the driven shaft; and

and the reversing mechanism is meshed with the worm and the first gear.

8. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the worm is provided on the drive shaft and the first gear is provided on the driven shaft.

9. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein neither the worm nor the first gear is located on a common vertical line of the drive shaft and the driven shaft.

10. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spacing between the drive shaft and the driven shaft is less than the radius of the first gear.

11. The transmission mechanism as recited in claim 7, wherein the reversing mechanism includes at least one second gear.

12. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein a lead angle of the worm is smaller than a friction angle between the second gear and the worm.

13. The transmission mechanism as recited in claim 11, wherein the first gear and the second gear are both helical gears.

14. The transmission mechanism as recited in claim 11, wherein the diameter of the second gear is smaller than the diameter of the first gear.

15. The transmission mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the axis of the second gear is parallel to the driven axis, wherein the distance between the axis of the second gear and the driving axis is greater than the distance between the driven axis and the driving axis.

16. The drive mechanism of claim 7, wherein each reversing assembly further comprises a limiting mechanism, the limiting mechanism comprising:

a housing; and

a partition located within and connected to the housing to form a spacing space with the housing in which the worm, the reversing mechanism and the first gear are received in an assembled state.

17. An antenna, characterized in that the antenna comprises:

a reflective plate;

at least one phase shifter; and

the transmission mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. An antenna, characterized in that the antenna comprises:

a reflection plate provided with an accommodation groove;

at least one phase shifter; and

the transmission mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 16 wherein the reversing element of the transmission mechanism is at least partially received within the receiving slot.

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