CN219086228U - Antenna assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna assembly comprising: an active antenna unit; a passive antenna; and a mounting frame interposed between and fixed to the active antenna unit and the passive antenna, the mounting frame being formed of a polymer material.

Description

Antenna assembly

Technical Field

The present utility model relates generally to antennas and, more particularly, to mounting structures for antennas.

Background

As the demand for wireless data services increases, the conventional response is to increase the number and capacity of conventional cellular base stations (macrocells). Antennas used by such macro cells are typically mounted on antenna towers. Conventional antenna towers have three or four legs on which the antenna and supporting Remote Radio Units (RRUs) are mounted. However, in some environments, a structure called a "monopole antenna" is used as a mounting structure. Monopole antennas are typically used when fewer antennas/RRUs are installed, and/or when a smaller height structure is required.

Macro cell sites become increasingly unavailable and the available spectrum limits how much additional capacity is available from a given macro cell. Thus, small cell RRU and antenna combinations have evolved to "fill in" areas of under-service or crowding that would otherwise be located within a macrocell site. Especially in urban environments, deployment of small cells is expected to continue to grow. Typically, such small cell constructions (sometimes referred to as "metropolitan area cells") are mounted on monopole antennas. Typically, these small cell configurations do not allow for other devices to be installed over the antenna.

Traditionally, the antenna and RRU are separate devices and are connected via jumpers or the like. Thus, the antenna is considered "passive" in that the signal is generated and received by the RRU. In a passive antenna array, the radiating element array is configured to generate a static antenna beam having a fixed shape (except for occasional changes to the electronic downtilt angle of the antenna beam) in response to receiving RF signals from an external radio. The antenna beams generated by the passive antenna array are typically designed to provide coverage to a desired area of the cell, such as a sector (e.g., a 120 sector in the azimuth plane). This arrangement is generally applicable up to and including the case of "4G" rrus and antennas compliant with the "4G" communication standard. However, there are now combined antenna/RRU units considered as "active antenna" units, meaning that they are antenna radio units comprising both transmit/receive radios and antennas in the same unit. The active antenna element comprises a multi-column array of beam forming radio and radiating elements. The multi-column array of radio units and radiating elements are configured such that they together perform active beamforming. In the active antenna unit, the output ports of the beam forming radios are coupled to respective subsets of one or more of the radiating elements in the multi-column array of radiating elements. The beamforming radio adjusts the amplitude and phase of the subcomponents of the RF signal output at each port of the radio so that the radiating element groups work together, e.g., to form a more concentrated higher gain antenna beam with a narrowed beamwidth in the azimuth and/or elevation planes. Electronic adjustments to amplitude and phase by the beam forming radio may also be used to "steer" the boresight pointing direction of each generated antenna beam in the desired direction. By active beamforming, the shape of the antenna beam generated by the active antenna element may be varied, for example, on a slot-by-slot basis. The active antenna element may be used as a stand-alone antenna or may be mounted on other antennas (e.g., antennas comprising multiple passive antenna arrays).

Active antenna elements are typically "5G" elements, which are devices that meet the high level of performance and accuracy required for 5G protocols and performance requirements. Exemplary active antenna elements include model At1K0X (available from nokia), model 1281 (available from ericsson), and model 6701 (also available from ericsson).

As described above, in some deployments, it may be desirable to include both 5G active antenna elements and passive 4G antennas. These can be combined without affecting the active and passive antenna performance. Currently, metal frames are used to mount 5G active antenna elements directly to the rear surface of a 4G passive antenna. This arrangement is illustrated in fig. 1A and 1B, wherein a metal frame 30 is used to mount the active antenna element 20 to the passive antenna 10. The passive antenna 10 is mounted to a mast or post 40 via brackets 50, with the frame 30 mounted to the rear surface of the passive antenna 10 between two of the brackets 30. The active antenna element 20 is mounted to the frame 30 via two metal strips 60. However, such mounting may result in the metal component being joined to other metal components (fig. 1 indicates many of the metal-to-metal bonds), which may generate undesirable Passive Intermodulation (PIM), and the generation of the frame (which may be heavy) may be expensive. It may therefore be desirable to provide alternative solutions for mounting active antenna elements and passive antennas.

Disclosure of Invention

As a first aspect, embodiments of the present utility model are directed to an antenna assembly. The assembly comprises: an active antenna unit; a passive antenna; and a mounting frame interposed between and fixed to the active antenna unit and the passive antenna, the mounting frame being formed of a polymer material.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the present utility model are directed to an antenna assembly, comprising: an active antenna unit; a passive antenna; and a mounting frame interposed between and fixed to the active antenna unit and the passive antenna, the mounting frame being formed of a polymer material, wherein the mounting frame is formed as a unitary member by compression molding.

As a third aspect, embodiments of the present utility model are directed to an antenna assembly comprising: an active antenna unit; a passive antenna; and a mounting frame interposed between and secured to the active antenna element and the passive antenna, wherein the mounting frame is formed as a plurality of components secured together, and wherein at least some of the plurality of components are formed by pultrusion.

Drawings

Fig. 1A and 1B are exploded and perspective views of a prior assembly in which an active antenna is mounted on a passive antenna.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an assembly according to an embodiment of the utility model, wherein an active antenna element is mounted on a passive antenna.

Fig. 2A is a greatly enlarged side perspective view of the upper end of the assembly of fig. 2.

Fig. 2B is a greatly enlarged side perspective view of the lower end of the assembly of fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of the mounting frame of the assembly of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the mounting frame of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the upper cross member of the mounting frame of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lower cross member of the mounting frame of fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of a mounting frame according to an alternative embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting frame of fig. 7.

Fig. 9A is a cross-sectional view of one of the side rails of the mounting frame of fig. 7.

Fig. 9B is a partial perspective view of an end of one of the side rails of the mounting frame of fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the lower cross member of the mounting frame of fig. 7.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the upper cross member of the mounting frame of fig. 7.

Detailed Description

Related application: the present application requests priority and interest in U.S. provisional application serial No. 63/288,036 filed on 10 12 months 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present utility model will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the utility model are shown. This utility model may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the utility model to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The thickness and dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated for clarity.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this utility model belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the utility model. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the expression "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In addition, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

As used herein, phrases such as "between X and Y" and "between about X and Y" should be construed to include X and Y. As used herein, a phrase such as "between about X and Y" means "between about X and about Y". As used herein, phrases such as "from about X to Y" mean "from about X to about Y".

Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an assembly 100 is shown. The assembly 100 includes a passive antenna 110, an active antenna element 120, and a mounting frame 130 according to an embodiment of the present utility model. The passive antenna 110 and the active antenna element 120 may be any known antenna suitable for such a component. The mounting frame 130 that facilitates the mounting of the active antenna element 120 to the passive antenna 110 is described in more detail below.

Referring now to fig. 3-6, the mounting frame 130 is formed as a unitary structure generally formed of a polymeric material. The polymeric material may be any material having sufficient strength and rigidity to provide a mounting location; in some embodiments, the polymeric material may be a Sheet Molding Compound (SMC), which is typically a reinforced polyester material molded by compression molding. In other embodiments, the mounting frame 130 may be formed by injection molding.

The mounting frame 130 includes an upper cross member 132, a lower cross member 134, and two side rails 136 that span the ends of the upper and lower cross members 132, 134 to form an open rectangle. As can be seen in fig. 3, 4 and 6, the side rail 136 has a double wall structure in which an inner layer 138 and an outer layer 140 are spanned by a bridge 142. Ribs 144 extend between inner layer 138 and outer layer 140. The bridge 142 includes a plurality of mounting holes 146 that can receive bolts, screws, and similar fasteners for mounting.

Referring now to fig. 3-5, upper cross member 132 is generally C-shaped having an inner wall 150, a bridge 152, and an outer wall 154. An angled flange 156 extends inwardly from an end of the outer wall 154. Three circular holes 158 are spaced apart across the length of bridge 152. Two "keyhole-shaped" apertures 160 are located on the bridge adjacent to the respective outer apertures of apertures 158. In addition, the elongated slot 162 extends a majority of the length of the bridge 152 adjacent the outer wall 154.

Referring now to fig. 3, 4 and 6, the lower cross member 134 has an inner wall 164, an outer wall 166, a bridge 168 and a rib 170 similar in construction to the side rail 136. Two tabs 172 extend downwardly from the outer wall 166 adjacent the bridge 168. Each of the tabs 172 has a keyhole-shaped aperture 174.

As can be seen in fig. 2A, the frame 130 may be mounted to the passive antenna 110 by hanging the flange 156 of the upper cross member 132 on a hook 180 of a bracket 181 fixed to the passive antenna 110. The upper cross member 132 of the frame 130 may be secured via bolts 183 and nuts 182 that are inserted through the keyhole-shaped apertures 160 to the brackets 181. As shown in fig. 2B, the lower cross member 134 of the frame 130 may be secured to a bracket 184 on the passive antenna 110 via bolts 185 and nuts 186. The active antenna unit 120 may then be mounted to the frame 130 using a strap (e.g., rigid strap) 161 that is attached via screws inserted into holes 146 in the side rails 136 (see fig. 2).

It can be seen that the frame 130 enables the active antenna element 120 to be easily mounted to the passive antenna 110. Because the frame 130 is typically formed of a polymeric material, it eliminates or reduces the number of metal-to-metal joints that may cause PIM. In addition, the frame 130 may be lighter than a similar frame formed of a metallic material, and may be molded in a single molding operation, which may reduce manufacturing costs.

Referring now to fig. 7-11, another mounting frame suitable for mounting an active antenna to a passive antenna is shown and indicated generally at 230. Similar to the mounting frame 130, the mounting frame 230 includes an upper cross member 232, a lower cross member 234, and two side rails 236 that span the ends of the upper and lower cross members 232, 234 to form an open rectangle. However, unlike the mounting frame 130, the mounting frame 230 is formed from four separate pieces, each of which is separately manufactured and then assembled to form the frame 230.

The upper cross member 232 (fig. 10) is similar in construction to the upper cross member 132 except that the upper cross member 232 includes two holes 251 in the inner wall 250 for interconnection with the side rails 236. In addition, lower cross member 234 (fig. 11) is somewhat similar to lower cross member 134, but it also includes (a) a second bridge 269 opposite bridge 268, and (b) an aperture 265 in inner wall 264 for interconnection with side rail 236.

Referring now to fig. 7 and 9A, each of the side rails 236 has an inner layer 238 and an outer layer 240 spanned by two bridges 242, 244. Each of the inner layer 238 and the outer layer 240 also has an upper flange 239 and a lower flange 241 that form gaps G1, G2. Each of the side rails 236 has a protrusion 243 (fig. 9B) at each end that is received in a respective hole 251, 265 of the upper and lower cross members 232, 234 and secured thereto via a press fit joint, adhesive, or the like. In addition, as seen in fig. 9A, mounting holes 246 exist in the bridges 242, 244.

In some embodiments, any or all of the upper cross member 232, lower cross member 234, and side rails 236 may be formed by pultrusion, and/or may be formed from a Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material, such as a thermoset polyester with fiberglass reinforcement. Such materials may provide many of the same advantages discussed above in connection with the mounting frame 130. In other embodiments, the mounting frame 130 may be formed by other techniques such as extrusion or injection molding. The mounting frame 230 may be used to mount the active antenna element to the passive antenna in the same manner as described above in connection with the mounting frame 130.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present utility model and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this utility model have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this utility model. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this utility model as defined in the claims. The utility model is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims (26)

1. An antenna assembly, the antenna assembly comprising:

an active antenna unit;

a passive antenna; and

a mounting frame interposed between and secured to the active antenna element and the passive antenna, the mounting frame formed of a polymeric material.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting frame is formed as a unitary component.

3. The antenna assembly of claim 2, wherein the mounting frame is formed by injection molding or compression molding.

4. The antenna assembly of claim 2, wherein the mounting frame is formed from a sheet molding compound.

5. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting frame is formed as a plurality of pieces that are secured together.

6. The antenna assembly of claim 5, wherein at least some of the plurality of components are formed by pultrusion or extrusion.

7. The antenna assembly of claim 5, wherein at least some of the plurality of components are formed from a fiber-reinforced polymer.

8. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting frame includes an upper cross member, a lower cross member, and a pair of side rails, each of the side rails spanning the upper cross member and the lower cross member.

9. The antenna assembly of claim 8, wherein the upper cross member includes a flange that engages a hook of a bracket mounted on the passive antenna.

10. The antenna assembly of claim 9, wherein the upper cross member includes a keyhole-shaped opening that receives a fastener that secures the bracket to the upper cross member.

11. The antenna assembly of claim 8, wherein the lower cross member comprises a tab, and wherein the mounting frame is secured to the passive antenna via a fastener inserted through a keyhole-shaped opening in the tab.

12. The antenna assembly of claim 8, further comprising at least one strap wrapped around the active antenna element and mounted to the side rail.

13. An antenna assembly, the antenna assembly comprising:

an active antenna unit;

a passive antenna; and

a mounting frame interposed between and secured to the active antenna element and the passive antenna, the mounting frame formed of a polymeric material, wherein the mounting frame is formed as a unitary component by compression molding.

14. The antenna assembly of claim 13, wherein the mounting frame is formed from a sheet molding compound.

15. The antenna assembly of claim 13, wherein the mounting frame includes an upper cross member, a lower cross member, and a pair of side rails, each of the side rails spanning the upper cross member and the lower cross member.

16. The antenna assembly of claim 15, wherein the upper cross member includes a flange that engages a hook of a bracket mounted on the passive antenna.

17. The antenna assembly of claim 16, wherein the upper cross member includes a keyhole-shaped opening that receives a fastener that secures the bracket to the upper cross member.

18. The antenna assembly of claim 15, wherein the lower cross member comprises a tab, and wherein the mounting frame is secured to the passive antenna via a fastener inserted through a keyhole-shaped opening in the tab.

19. The antenna assembly of claim 15, further comprising at least one strap wrapped around the active antenna and mounted to the side rail.

20. An antenna assembly, the antenna assembly comprising:

an active antenna unit;

a passive antenna; and

a mounting frame interposed between and secured to the active antenna element and the passive antenna, wherein the mounting frame is formed as a plurality of components secured together, and wherein at least some of the plurality of components are formed by pultrusion.

21. The antenna assembly of claim 20 wherein at least some of the plurality of components are formed from a fiber-reinforced polymer.

22. The antenna assembly of claim 20, wherein the mounting frame includes an upper cross member, a lower cross member, and a pair of side rails, each of the side rails spanning the upper cross member and the lower cross member.

23. The antenna assembly of claim 22, wherein the upper cross member includes a flange that engages a hook of a bracket mounted on the passive antenna.

24. The antenna assembly of claim 23, wherein the upper cross member includes a keyhole-shaped opening that receives a fastener that secures the bracket to the upper cross member.

25. The antenna assembly of claim 22, wherein the lower cross member comprises a tab, and wherein the mounting frame is secured to the passive antenna via a fastener inserted through a keyhole-shaped opening in the tab.

26. The antenna assembly of claim 22 further comprising at least one strap wrapped around the active antenna element and mounted to the side rail.

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