EP3869612A1 - Konnektivität und feldaustauschbarkeit von auf basisstationsantennen montierten funkgeräten - Google Patents

Konnektivität und feldaustauschbarkeit von auf basisstationsantennen montierten funkgeräten Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP3869612A1
EP3869612A1 EP20175086.6A EP20175086A EP3869612A1 EP 3869612 A1 EP3869612 A1 EP 3869612A1 EP 20175086 A EP20175086 A EP 20175086A EP 3869612 A1 EP3869612 A1 EP 3869612A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
base station
station antenna
radio
antenna
antenna assembly
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP20175086.6A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Amit Kaistha
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Commscope Technologies LLC
Original Assignee
Commscope Technologies LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Commscope Technologies LLC filed Critical Commscope Technologies LLC
Publication of EP3869612A1 publication Critical patent/EP3869612A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
    • H01Q1/22—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles
    • H01Q1/24—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set
    • H01Q1/241—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM
    • H01Q1/246—Supports; Mounting means by structural association with other equipment or articles with receiving set used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM specially adapted for base stations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/12—Supports; Mounting means
    • H01Q1/125—Means for positioning
    • H01Q1/1264—Adjusting different parts or elements of an aerial unit
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q1/00—Details of, or arrangements associated with, antennas
    • H01Q1/42—Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome

Definitions

  • the present inventive concepts generally relate to radio communications and, more particularly, to base station antennas for cellular communications systems.
  • Cellular communications systems are well known in the art.
  • a geographic area is divided into a series of regions that are referred to as "cells" which are served by respective base stations.
  • the base station may include one or more antennas that are configured to provide two-way radio frequency (“RF") communications with mobile subscribers that are within the cell served by the base station.
  • RF radio frequency
  • each cell is divided into "sectors.”
  • a hexagonally shaped cell is divided into three 120° sectors in the azimuth plane, and each sector is served by one or more base station antennas that have an azimuth Half Power Beamwidth (HPBW) of approximately 65°.
  • HPBW azimuth Half Power Beamwidth
  • the base station antennas are mounted on a tower or other raised structure, with the radiation patterns (also referred to herein as "antenna beams") that are generated by the base station antennas directed outwardly.
  • Base station antennas are often implemented as linear or planar phased arrays of radiating elements.
  • One common multi-band base station antenna design includes two linear arrays of "low-band” radiating elements that are used to provide service in some or all of the 617-960 MHz frequency band and two linear arrays of "mid-band” radiating elements that are used to provide service in some or all of the 1427-2690 MHz frequency band.
  • the four linear arrays are mounted in side-by-side fashion.
  • base station antennas that include one or more linear arrays of "high-band” radiating elements that operate in higher frequency bands, such as some or all of the 3.3-4.2 GHz frequency band. As larger numbers of linear arrays are included in base station antennas, it becomes more difficult, time-consuming and expensive to design, fabricate and test these antennas.
  • a base station antenna assembly may include a base station antenna having a frame and a radome that covers the frame; and a first radio mounted to a radio support plate on a rear side of the base station antenna.
  • the radio support plate may be configured to attach to the base station antenna by at least one guide rail that cooperates with one or more guide structures of the radio support plate.
  • the guide rail may include a slot, which may in some aspects have a generally C-shaped cross-section.
  • the one or more guide structures may include a rod, which may be formed of a plastic material.
  • the base station antenna may include a plurality of jumper cables that communicatively couple the base station antenna with the first radio.
  • the base station antenna assembly may include at least two cables that communicatively couple the base station antenna with the first radio, with the at least two cables ganged together via a ganged connector.
  • a base station antenna assembly may include a base station antenna having a frame and a radome that covers the frame; and a first radio mounted on a radio support plate.
  • a first guide rail may be mounted on one of the base station antenna and the radio support plate and a first cooperating rod may be mounted on the other of the base station antenna and the radio support plate.
  • the first guide rail and the first corresponding rod may be configured so that when the first cooperating rods are received within a slot in the first guide rail the radio support plate is mounted on the base station antenna.
  • the base station antenna assembly may include a first locking pin, where the first guide rail comprises top and bottom walls each having a first pin through hole therein which is dimensioned to receive the first locking pin.
  • the first corresponding rod may include first pin through holes therein which are dimensioned to receive the first locking pin.
  • the base station antenna assembly may include a second locking pin, where the top and bottom walls each have a second pin through hole therein which is dimensioned to receive the second locking pin.
  • the first corresponding rod may include second pin through holes therein which are dimensioned to receive the second locking pin.
  • the first guide rail may be mounted on the base station antenna and the first corresponding rod may be mounted on the radio support plate opposite the first radio.
  • the first radio may be mounted to the frame via a first radio support plate.
  • a first guide rail may be mounted on one of the base station antenna and the radio support plate and a first cooperating rod may be mounted on the other of the base station antenna and the radio support plate.
  • the first guide rail and the first corresponding rod may be configured so that when the first cooperating rods are received within a slot in the first guide rail the radio support plate is mounted on the base station antenna.
  • the base station antenna assembly may include first locking pin
  • the first guide rail may include top and bottom walls each having a first pin through hole therein which is dimensioned to receive the first locking pin.
  • the first corresponding rod may include first pin through holes therein which are dimensioned to receive the first locking pin.
  • the base station antenna assembly may include a second locking pin, and the top and bottom walls may each have a second pin through hole therein which is dimensioned to receive the second locking pin.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a base station antenna 100 according to certain embodiments of the present inventive concepts.
  • the antenna 100 will be described using terms that assume that the antenna 100 is mounted for use on a tower with the longitudinal axis L of the antenna 100 extending along a vertical axis and the front surface of the antenna 100 mounted opposite the tower pointing toward the coverage area for the antenna 100.
  • the base station antenna 100 is an elongated structure that extends along a longitudinal axis L.
  • the base station antenna 100 may have a tubular shape with generally rectangular cross-section.
  • the antenna 100 includes a radome 110 and a top end cap 120.
  • the radome 110 and the top end cap 120 may comprise a single integral unit, which may be helpful for waterproofing the antenna 100.
  • One or more mounting brackets may be provided on the rear side of the antenna 100 which may be used to mount the antenna 100 onto an antenna mount (not shown) on, for example, an antenna tower.
  • the antenna 100 also includes a bottom end cap 130 which includes a plurality of connectors 140 mounted therein.
  • the antenna 100 is typically mounted in a vertical configuration (i.e., the longitudinal axis L may be generally perpendicular to a plane defined by the horizon) when the antenna 100 is mounted for normal operation.
  • the radome 110, top cap 120 and bottom cap 130 may form an external housing for the antenna 100.
  • An antenna assembly (not shown in FIG. 1 ) may be contained within the housing. The antenna assembly may be slidably inserted into the radome 110, typically from the bottom before the bottom cap 130 is attached to the radome 110.
  • the antenna assembly 200 may include a main backplane 210 that has sidewalls 212 and a main reflector 214.
  • the backplane 210 may serve as both a structural component for the antenna assembly 200 and as a ground plane and reflector for the radiating elements mounted thereon.
  • the backplane 210 may also include brackets or other support structures (not shown) that extend between the sidewalls 212 along the rear of the backplane 210.
  • the main reflector 214 may comprise a generally flat metallic surface that extends in the longitudinal direction L of the antenna 100. Some of the radiating elements (discussed below) of the antenna 100 may be mounted to extend forwardly from the main reflector 214, and the dipole radiators of these radiating elements may be mounted approximately 1 ⁇ 4 of a wavelength of the operating frequency for each radiating element forwardly of the main reflector 214.
  • the main reflector 214 may serve as a reflector and as a ground plane for the radiating elements of the antenna 100 that are mounted thereon.
  • the antenna 100 may include a plurality of dual-polarized radiating elements 222, 232, 252.
  • the radiating elements include low-band radiating elements 222, mid-band radiating elements 232, and high-band radiating elements 252.
  • the low-band radiating elements 222 may be mounted to extend upwardly from the main reflector 214 and, in some embodiments, may be mounted in two columns to form two linear arrays of low-band radiating elements 222. Each low-band linear array may extend along substantially the full length of the antenna 100 in some embodiments.
  • the low-band radiating elements 222 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in a first frequency band.
  • the first frequency band may comprise the 617-960 MHz frequency range or a portion thereof (e.g., the 617-896 MHz frequency band, the 696-960 MHz frequency band, etc.).
  • the mid-band radiating elements 232 may likewise be mounted to extend upwardly from the main reflector 214 and may be mounted in two columns to form two linear arrays of first mid-band radiating elements 232.
  • the linear arrays of mid-band radiating elements 232 may extend along the respective side edges of the main reflector 214.
  • the mid-band radiating elements 232 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in a second frequency band.
  • the second frequency band may comprise the 1427-2690 MHz frequency range or a portion thereof (e.g., the 1710-2200 MHz frequency band, the 2300-2690 MHz frequency band, etc.).
  • the high-band radiating elements 252 may be mounted in four columns in a portion of the antenna 100 to form four linear arrays of high-band radiating elements 252.
  • the high-band radiating elements 252 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in a third frequency band.
  • the third frequency band may comprise the 3300-4200 MHz frequency range or a portion thereof.
  • the number of linear arrays of low-band, mid-band and high-band radiating elements may be varied from what is shown in FIG. 2 .
  • the number of linear arrays of each type of radiating elements may be varied from what is shown, some types of linear arrays may be omitted and/or other types of arrays may be added, the number of radiating elements per array may be varied from what is shown, and/or the arrays may be arranged differently.
  • the low-band and mid-band radiating elements 222, 232 may each be mounted to extend forwardly from the main reflector 214.
  • the high-band radiating elements 252 may each be mounted to extend forwardly from a sub-module reflector, as will be described in further detail below.
  • Each linear array of low-band radiating elements 222 may be used to form a pair of antenna beams, namely an antenna beam for each of the two polarizations at which the dual-polarized radiating elements are designed to transmit and receive RF signals.
  • each array 232 of first mid-band radiating elements 232 and each array 252 of high-band radiating elements 252 may be configured to form a pair of antenna beams, namely an antenna beam for each of the two polarizations at which the dual-polarized radiating elements are designed to transmit and receive RF signals.
  • Each linear array may be configured to provide service to a sector of a base station.
  • radiating elements 222, 232, 252 may be mounted on feed boards (not shown) that couple RF signals to and from the individual radiating elements 222, 232, 252.
  • feed boards (not shown) that couple RF signals to and from the individual radiating elements 222, 232, 252.
  • One, or more than one, radiating elements 222, 232, 242, 252 may be mounted on each feed board. Cables (not shown) may be used to connect each feed board to other components of the antenna 100 such as diplexers, phase shifters, calibration boards or the like.
  • the base station antennas may be reconfigurable antennas that include one or more self-contained sub-modules.
  • the base station antenna 100 includes one such sub-module 300 , which may be may be slidably received on the main backplane 210.
  • the main reflector 214 may have an opening (not shown) and the sub-module 300 may be received in the general area of this opening when the antenna 100 is fully assembled.
  • embodiments of the present inventive concepts are not limited thereto, and that one or more smaller openings may be used in other embodiments, or the opening may be omitted entirely.
  • the sub-module 300 may include a sub-module backplane 310.
  • the sub-module backplane 310 may include sidewalls 312 and a sub-module reflector 314.
  • the four linear arrays of high-band radiating elements 252 may be mounted to extend forwardly from the sub-module reflector 314.
  • the sub-module reflector 314 may be mounted forwardly of the main reflector 214. This may advantageously position the high-band radiating elements 252 closer to the radome 110 so that the radome 110 is within the near field of the high-band radiating elements 252. Greater detail concerning the sub-module is provided in PCT Application No. PCT/US2019/054661 , which has already been incorporated by reference.
  • the antenna assembly 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may have a number of advantages over conventional antennas.
  • 5G fifth generation
  • the base station antennas that are being deployed are becoming increasingly complex.
  • space constraints and/or allowable antenna counts on antenna towers of existing base stations it may not be possible to simply add new antennas to support 5G service.
  • cellular operators are opting to deploy antennas that support multiple generations of cellular service by including linear arrays of radiating elements that operate in a variety of different frequency bands in a single antenna.
  • these antennas may include multi-column arrays of radiating elements that support active beamforming.
  • Cellular operators are seeking to support all of these services in base station antennas that are comparable in size to conventional base station antennas that supported far fewer frequency bands. This raises a number of challenges.
  • the antenna assembly 100 may include two linear arrays of low-band radiating elements 222 , two linear arrays of first mid-band radiating elements 232 , and a four column planar array of high-band radiating elements 252. All of the radiating elements 222, 232, 252 may comprise dual-polarized radiating elements.
  • each column of radiating elements will be fed by two separate connector ports on a radio, and thus a total of twenty-four RF connector ports are required on the base station antenna 200 to pass RF signals between the twelve separate columns of radiating elements and their associated RF connector ports on the cellular radios.
  • each of the four column planar arrays of radiating elements are operated as a beamforming array, and hence a calibration connector port is required for each such array, raising the total number of RF connector ports required on the antenna to twenty-six. Additional control ports are also typically required which are used, for example to control electronic tilt circuits included in the antenna.
  • the above-described RF connector ports, as well as any control ports, have been mounted in the lower end cap of a base station antenna, as seen in FIG. 1 at 130. Mounting the RF connector ports in this location can help locate the RF connector ports close to remote radio heads that are mounted separate from the antenna, which may improve the aesthetic appearance of the installed equipment and reduce RF cable losses. Additionally, mounting the RF connector ports to extend downwardly from the bottom end plate helps protect the base station antenna from water ingress through the RF connector ports and may shield the RF connector ports from rain.
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base station antenna having a large number of RF connector ports 532.
  • base station antennas which have one or more radios mounted on the back of the antenna to provide an antenna assembly.
  • the base station antennas included in these antenna assemblies may have arrays of connector ports (or other connections) for the radios mounted on the rear surface of the base station antenna, which may provide both design and performance advantages.
  • the base station antennas may be designed so that radios manufactured by any original equipment manufacturer may be mounted on the back of the antenna. This allows cellular operators to purchase the base station antennas and the radios mounted thereon separately, providing greater flexibility to the cellular operators to select antennas and radios that meet operating needs, price constraints and other considerations. Various embodiments of these base station antennas will be discussed in further detail with reference to FIGS. 4 .
  • FIGS. 4A-4D a base station antenna 510 is depicted that is designed so that a pair of cellular radios may be mounted on the back side of the housing thereof.
  • FIGS. 4A and 4B are a front perspective view and a rear perspective view, respectively, of the base station antenna 510
  • FIGS. 4C and 4D are a front view and a rear view, respectively, of the base station antenna 510.
  • the base station antenna 510 includes a top end cap 512 , a bottom end cap 514 and a radome 520.
  • a back surface 522 of the radome 520 includes a pair of openings.
  • a connector plate 530 is mounted in each opening, and a plurality of RF connector ports 532 that form an array 534 of connector ports 532 are mounted in each connector plate 530.
  • each connector plate 530 has a total of nine connector ports 532 mounted therein.
  • Each connector port 532 may comprise an RF connector port that may be connected to an RF port on a radio by a suitable connectorized cable such as, for example, a coaxial jumper cable.
  • each RF connector port 532 may comprise a double-sided connector port so that respective coaxial jumper cables may be connected to each side of each RF connector port 532. Accordingly, first coaxial jumper cables (not shown) that are external to the antenna 510 may extend between each RF connector port 532 and a respective RF connector port on a radio (not shown) that is mounted on the back of the antenna 510 , and second coaxial jumper cables (not shown) that are internal to the antenna 510 may extend between each RF connector port 532 and one or more internal components of the antenna 510.
  • FIGS. 5A-5D are various views that illustrate the base station antenna 510 of FIGS. 4A-4D after two beamforming radios 550 have been mounted on the back side of the antenna to provide an antenna assembly 500.
  • FIG. 5A is a back view of the antenna assembly 500
  • FIG. 5B is a side view of the antenna assembly 500
  • FIG. 5C is a back perspective view of the antenna assembly 500
  • FIG. 5D is a partial back perspective view of the antenna assembly 500 with the radome 520 removed.
  • the antenna assembly 500 includes the base station antenna 510 of FIGS. 4A-4D and a pair of cellular radios 550 that are mounted on the back surface of the radome 520.
  • Nine coaxial jumper cables 560 extend between nine connector ports 552 that are provided on each radio 550 and the nine connector ports 532 provided on a corresponding one of the connector plates 530.
  • two arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532 are provided on the back surface of the base station antenna 510.
  • One of the arrays 534 of connector ports 532 may comprise the RF connector ports 532 for the four column planar array 240 of second mid-band radiating elements 242 and the other array 534 of RF connector ports 532 may comprise the RF connector ports 532 for the four column planar array 250 of high-band radiating elements 252.
  • this allows the RF connector ports 552 on each of the beamforming radios 550 to be connected to their corresponding RF connector ports 532 on the base station antenna 510 by very short coaxial jumper cables 560. This may result in as much as a 2-3 dB improvement in RF cable losses, which may provide a significant increase in throughput.
  • the cellular operator may avoid leasing tower costs for the two radios 550 , as leasing costs are typically based on the number of elements that are separately mounted on an antenna tower. Additionally, by moving eighteen of the RF connector ports 532 to the back of the antenna 510 , the number of RF connector ports 532 mounted on the bottom end cap 514 may be reduced significantly (e.g., to eight RF connector ports in the example set forth above). This may make it easier for technicians to properly install the jumper cables 560 , and leaves plenty of room for easy to read labels that aid installation.
  • the base station antenna 510 may be designed so that radios 550 manufactured by a wide variety of different equipment manufacturers may be mounted thereon.
  • the frame of the base station antenna 510 (which is located inside the radome 520 ) may include rails or other vertically extending members along the back surface thereof that the radios 550 may be mounted on. This may allow a cellular operator to order a base station antenna 510 according to embodiments of the present inventive concepts from a first vendor, a first beamforming radio 550 from a second vendor and a second beamforming radio 550 from a third vendor and then combine the three together to form the antenna assembly 500. This provides significant flexibility to the cellular operator to select vendors and/or equipment that best suit the needs of the cellular operator.
  • FIGS. 4A-5D illustrate embodiments in which the RF connector ports 532 for both beamforming radios 550 are mounted on connector plates on the rear surface of base station antenna assemblies 500 and 500A-500C , it will be appreciated that embodiments of the inventive concepts are not limited thereto. For example, any of these embodiments may be modified so that the RF connector ports 532 for at least one of the two beamforming radios 550 are mounted on the bottom end cap 514 of the base station antenna 510.
  • FIG. 6 One example of such a base station assembly 500A in which the RF connector ports 532 for at least one beamforming radios 550 are mounted on the bottom end cap 514 of the base station antenna 510 is illustrated in FIG. 6 .
  • the second end of each jumper cable 870 may be connected to one or more cluster connectors 880.
  • a cluster connector may comprise a plurality of connectors that are fixedly premounted in a common plate. In the embodiment shown in FIG.
  • two cluster connectors 880-1, 880-2 are provided, with five of the jumper cables 870 connected to the first cluster connector 880-1 and the remaining four jumper cables 870 connected to the second cluster connector 880-2.
  • the RF ports 532 on base station antenna 510 may be arranged to mate with the two cluster connectors 880 , and each cluster connector 880 may be pushed onto a corresponding group of four or five RF connector ports 532 in order to quickly and easily connect the jumper cables 870 to the base station antenna 510.
  • Suitable cluster connectors are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 16/375,530, filed April 4, 2019 , the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. It will also be appreciated that jumper cable assemblies that have cluster connectors on both ends of the cables may be used in other embodiments or alternatively be used to provide the RF connections between the beamforming radios 550 and the base station antenna 510.
  • the antenna assemblies according to embodiments of the present inventive concepts may also be designed so that the radios 550 may be field-replaceable.
  • a field-replaceable radio refers to a radio 550 that is mounted on a base station antenna that can be removed and replaced with another radio while the base station antenna is mounted for use on, for example, an antenna tower.
  • mounting brackets 570 that attach between the antenna assembly 500 and the antenna tower (or other mounting structure) may connect to the base station antenna 510 as opposed to connecting to the radios 550.
  • FIG. 6 mounting brackets 570 that attach between the antenna assembly 500 and the antenna tower (or other mounting structure) may connect to the base station antenna 510 as opposed to connecting to the radios 550.
  • the mounting brackets 570 may be spaced apart from the radios 550 so that a technician can access and remove the radios 550 while the antenna 510 is mounted on the antenna tower.
  • cable guides 872 may be provided within the mounting brackets 570. The cable guides 872 may retain the jumper cables 870 , for example during replacement or repair of the radio 550.
  • the various embodiments of the antenna assembly 500 illustrated with respect to FIGS. 4A-6 use external jumper cables 560/870 to connect the RF connector ports 552 on the beamforming radios 550 to the RF connector ports 532 that are mounted on the back surface of the radome 520 or the bottom end cap 514.
  • the external jumper cables 560/870 have connectors on each end, which may be of the same type or of different types.
  • the present disclosure is not limited to the use of such jumper cables, however.
  • the RF connectors 532 included in the antenna assembly 500 may be replaced with access holes.
  • FIG. 7 is a back view of an antenna assembly 700 that includes such a design.
  • the antenna assembly 700 includes a base station antenna 710 that at least one beamforming radio 750 mounted on a rear surface thereof.
  • the radome 720 of antenna 710 includes at least one panel 730 that has access openings 732 therein. Each access opening 732 may be surrounded by a gland or seal to provide weatherproofing.
  • Pigtail cables 760 may be factory-coupled (e.g., soldered) to internal components within the base station antenna 710 and may extend from through a corresponding access hole 732 to connect with a respective RF connector port 752 on the radio 750.
  • the term "pigtail cables” includes a cable with a connector on one end that may be factory-coupled to a component within the base station antenna 710 , and may not be field-replaceable.
  • one or more guide rails 590 may be mounted on the rear surface of the base station antenna 510.
  • the frame of the base station antenna 510 may have support brackets (not shown) that extend between rearwardly-extending sidewalls of the frame, and each guide rail 590 may be mounted through the radome 520 onto one of the support brackets using screws or other attachment mechanisms.
  • a pair of horizontally-oriented guide rails 590 is provided for each beamforming radio 550.
  • each guide rail 590 may be implemented using a channel iron that has a front plate 591 , rearwardly extending top and bottom walls 592, and lips 593 that extend downwardly and upwardly from the respective top and bottom walls 592 so that the guide rail 590 has a generally C-shaped transverse cross-section that defines an interior slot 594.
  • Mounting holes 595 may be provided through the front wall 591 that receive screws or other fasteners 596 that are used to mount each guide rail 590 on the support plate or other structural component (not shown) of base station antenna 510.
  • the guide rails 590 may be formed of aluminum or steel in example embodiments.
  • radio support plates 800 may be provided that are configured for mounting on the guide rails 590.
  • Each radio support plate 800 may comprise, for example, a substantially planar metal plate that has mounting holes 810 therein.
  • the radio support plates 800 need not be planar, however, and may include, for example, rearwardly-extending lips 820 or other non-planar features (e.g., the plate radio support 800 may be a corrugated plate).
  • the size of each radio support plate 800 and the location of the mounting holes 810 may be customized based on the design of the beamforming radio 550 that is to be mounted on the base station antenna 510.
  • different radio support plates 800 may be provided for different beamforming radio manufacturers and/or for different beamforming radio 550 models.
  • FIG. 8C is a perspective view of the rear of the base station antenna 510.
  • one or more guide structures 830 may be mounted on the surface of the radio support plate 800 that is configured to face the base station antenna 110.
  • the guide structures may be mounted using, for example, screws or bolts.
  • each guide structure 830 comprises a rod 840.
  • the radio support plate 800 and the beamforming radio 550 are not shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D to better describe aspects of the rod 840 and the guide rails 590.
  • the rod 840 is sized to be received in the slot 594 that is defined between the front plate 591 , top and bottom walls 592 and lips 593 of one of the guide rails 590.
  • a radio support plate 800 having guide structures 830 in the form of the rod 840 may be mounted on one or more guide rails 590 by sliding the radio support plate 800 laterally parallel to the guide rail(s) 590 so that the rod 840 is received within the slots 594 in the guide rail(s) 590.
  • pin through holes 597 may be provided in the top and bottom walls 592 at each end of the guide rails 590.
  • the pin through holes 597 may be dimensioned to receive a locking pin 598.
  • the rod 840 may have corresponding through holes 841 that are positioned along a length of the rod 840 such that, when the rod 840 is slid into position within the slot 594 , the corresponding through holes 841 of the rod 840 align with the pin through holes 597 of the top and bottom walls 592. As such, the locking pin 598 may be received through both the guide rail 590 and the rod 840.
  • the rod 840 may be dimensioned to be slightly shorter in length than the guide rail 594 , and the corresponding through holes may be omitted from the rod 840.
  • a first locking pin 598 at a first end of the guide rail 590 may be inserted through the pin through holes 597 in both the top and bottom walls 592 at the first end of the guide rail 594.
  • the radio support plate 800 may be mounted onto the base station antenna 510 by sliding the rod 840 into the slot 594 from the second end of the guide rail 590 until the rod 840 abuts the locking pin. Once the radio support plate 800 is in place, a second locking pin 598 may be inserted through the pin through holes 597 at the second end of the guide rail 590.
  • machining tolerances of the guide rails 590 and/or the rods 840 of the radio support plate may result in a thickness of the rod being less than a distance from the front plate 591 to the inner surface of the lips 593 of the guide rail. Moreover, even where machining tolerances are controlled, the thickness of the rod 840 may be less than the corresponding dimension of the slot 840 so as to permit relatively easy sliding of the rods 840 relative to the guide rails 590. Although lateral movement is prevented by the locking mechanisms, the thickness of the rod 840 relative to the guide rail 590 may create a potential for slight movement of the radio support plate 800 toward and away from the base station antenna 510.
  • a locking mechanism 860 may be provided. As shown, the locking mechanism 860 may include an offset cam 861 that is rotatable into position via lever 862. After sliding of the rods 840 of the radio support plate 800 into the guide rails 590 , the lever 862 may be rotated, causing the offset cam 861 to press rod 840 into contact with the front plate 591 of the guide rail 590. Such contact, which is maintained by the offset cam 861 , hinders and/or effective prevents the movement of the radio support plate 800 relative to the base station antenna 510.
  • the rod 840 may be formed of a plastic or other material selected to reduce or prevent the formation of passive intermodulation interference (PIM) products.
  • PIM is a form of electrical interference that may occur when two or more RF signals encounter non-linear electrical junctions or materials along an RF transmission path. Such non-linearities may act like a mixer causing the RF signals to generate new RF signals at mathematical combinations of the original RF signals.
  • PIM may result from inconsistent metal-to-metal contacts along an RF transmission path and/or the RF reception path, particularly when such inconsistent contacts are in high current density regions of the paths such as inside RF transmission lines, inside RF components, or on current carrying surfaces of an antenna.
  • Such inconsistent metal-to-metal contacts may occur, for example, because of contaminated and/or oxidized signal carrying surfaces, loose connections between two connectors, metal flakes or shavings inside RF components or connections and/or poorly prepared soldered connections (e.g., a poor solder termination of a coaxial cable onto a printed circuit board).
  • Other PIM may result from a metallic surface located within the transmission range of the antenna, such as a tower or mounting structure on which the antenna is mounted, or stationary or moving structures or objects nearby.
  • the non-linearities that give rise to PIM may be introduced at the time of manufacture, during installation, or due to electro-mechanical shift over time due to, for example, mechanical stress, vibration, thermal cycling, and/or material degradation.
  • embodiments of the present inventive concepts include those in which the rod 840 and/or other components of the radio support plate 800 or guide rail 590 are formed from non-metallic materials.
  • guide structures may be mounted on the rear surface of the base station antenna 510 and the guide rails 590 may be mounted on the radio support plate 800.
  • jumper cables 560 may then be installed that electrically connect the connector ports 552 on each beamforming radio 550 to respective RF connector ports 532 on the base station antenna 510 , though the arrangement of FIGS. 8A-8E may be used with any cabling between the beamforming radio 550 and the base station antenna 510 , including those illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 .
  • the beamforming radios 550 may be readily replaced in the field.
  • base station antennas are typically mounted on towers, often hundreds of feet above the ground. Base station antennas may also be large, heavy and mounted on antenna mounts that extend outwardly from the tower. As such, replacing base station antennas may be difficult and expensive.
  • the beamforming radios 550 of base station antenna assembly 500 may be field replaceable without the need to detach the base station antenna 510 from an antenna mount.
  • jumper cables 560 that extend between the base station antenna 510 and the beamforming radios 550 may be removed, and any stop mechanisms such as stop bolts or latches that are used to hold each radio support plate 800 with a beamforming radio 550 mounted thereon in place (to prevent lateral movement of the radio support plate 800 relative to the radio 550 ) on the base station antenna 510 may also be removed or unlatched.
  • Each radio support plate 800 with a beamforming radio 550 mounted thereon may then be removed simply by sliding the radio support plate 800 laterally until the guide structure(s) 830 are free of the slots 594 in the respective guide rails 590.
  • a different beamforming radio 550 that is mounted on an appropriate radio support plate 800 may be positioned adjacent the guide rails 590 so that the guide structures 830 on the radio support plate 800 are aligned with the guide rails 590.
  • the installer may then move the new radio support plate 800 laterally so that the guide structures 830 are captured by the respective guide rails 590 on the base station antenna 510.
  • the above-discussed stop/latching mechanism(s) may be engaged to prevent lateral movement of the new radio support plate 800 relative to the base station antenna 510.
  • the new beamforming radio 550 may be installed without the use of any tools or with only a screwdriver.
  • the base station antenna 510 is configured so that the first array 534-1 of RF connector ports 532 is mounted near the bottom of the back surface of the radome 520, and the second array 534-2 of RF connector ports 532 is mounted near the middle of the back surface of the radome 520.
  • the beamforming radios 550 are mounted above their corresponding arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532 in this design. It will be appreciated, however, that embodiments of the present inventive concepts are not limited to this configuration.
  • FIGS. 9A-9C are schematic back views illustrating alternative arrangements for the arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532 that may be employed in base station antennas according to further embodiments of the present inventive concepts.
  • an antenna assembly 500B is provided in which the first array 534-1 of RF connector ports 532 may be mounted near the top of the back surface of the antenna 510 , and the second array 534-2 of RF connector ports 532 may be mounted near the middle of the back surface of the antenna 510.
  • the beamforming radios 550 may be mounted below their corresponding arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532. As shown in FIG.
  • an antenna assembly 500C is provided in which the first and second arrays 534-1, 534-2 of RF connector ports 532 may each be mounted near the middle of the back surface of the antenna 510, with one beamforming radio 550 mounted above the arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532 and the other beamforming radio 550 mounted below the arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532. As shown in FIG.
  • an antenna assembly 500D is provided in which the first array 534-1 of RF connector ports 532 may be mounted near the top of the back surface of the antenna 510 , and the second array 534 of RF connector ports 532 may be mounted near the bottom of the back surface of the antenna 510 , and the two beamforming radios 550 may be mounted in between the two arrays 534 of RF connector ports 532.
  • the beamforming radios may be smaller and/or lighter weight than the radios that feed the passive, frequency division duplexed linear arrays, and as the beamforming radios typically have more RF connector ports, and hence mounting the beamforming radios on the back of the antenna and moving the associated RF connector ports to the back of the antenna as well frees up more space on the bottom end cap, simplifying the installation process.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)
EP20175086.6A 2020-02-24 2020-05-15 Konnektivität und feldaustauschbarkeit von auf basisstationsantennen montierten funkgeräten Withdrawn EP3869612A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US202062980553P 2020-02-24 2020-02-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3869612A1 true EP3869612A1 (de) 2021-08-25

Family

ID=70738457

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP20175086.6A Withdrawn EP3869612A1 (de) 2020-02-24 2020-05-15 Konnektivität und feldaustauschbarkeit von auf basisstationsantennen montierten funkgeräten

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP3869612A1 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20220029276A1 (en) * 2020-07-23 2022-01-27 Commscope Technologies Llc Mounting device and base station antenna system
WO2023076426A1 (en) * 2021-10-27 2023-05-04 Dish Wireless L.L.C. Apparatus for mounting a transceiver to an antenna structure in a cellular communication system

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN201233948Y (zh) * 2008-07-10 2009-05-06 中国移动通信集团公司 一种天线子系统、天线单元和射频拉远单元
WO2013191800A1 (en) * 2012-06-22 2013-12-27 Andrew Llc Antenna radome with removeably connected electronics module
WO2016036951A1 (en) * 2014-09-04 2016-03-10 Commscope Technologies Llc Azimuth and elevation angle pole mounting system for wireless communications base sites
WO2016095960A1 (en) * 2014-12-16 2016-06-23 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Attachment system for a replaceable radio unit
EP3217475A1 (de) * 2014-11-04 2017-09-13 KMW Inc. Antennenvorrichtung
CN208782034U (zh) * 2018-09-29 2019-04-23 杭州恒上科技有限公司 通信铁塔天线伪装罩
US20190390797A1 (en) * 2018-06-25 2019-12-26 ConcealFab Corporation Low-pim cable support brackets

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN201233948Y (zh) * 2008-07-10 2009-05-06 中国移动通信集团公司 一种天线子系统、天线单元和射频拉远单元
WO2013191800A1 (en) * 2012-06-22 2013-12-27 Andrew Llc Antenna radome with removeably connected electronics module
WO2016036951A1 (en) * 2014-09-04 2016-03-10 Commscope Technologies Llc Azimuth and elevation angle pole mounting system for wireless communications base sites
EP3217475A1 (de) * 2014-11-04 2017-09-13 KMW Inc. Antennenvorrichtung
WO2016095960A1 (en) * 2014-12-16 2016-06-23 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Attachment system for a replaceable radio unit
US20190390797A1 (en) * 2018-06-25 2019-12-26 ConcealFab Corporation Low-pim cable support brackets
CN208782034U (zh) * 2018-09-29 2019-04-23 杭州恒上科技有限公司 通信铁塔天线伪装罩

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20220029276A1 (en) * 2020-07-23 2022-01-27 Commscope Technologies Llc Mounting device and base station antenna system
US11682829B2 (en) * 2020-07-23 2023-06-20 Commscope Technologies Llc Mounting device and base station antenna system
WO2023076426A1 (en) * 2021-10-27 2023-05-04 Dish Wireless L.L.C. Apparatus for mounting a transceiver to an antenna structure in a cellular communication system

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US11575217B2 (en) Reconfigurable multi-band base station antennas having self-contained sub-modules
US11289798B2 (en) Connectivity and field replaceability of radios mounted on base station antennas
CN109219905B (zh) 基站天线单元及用于安装基站天线单元的方法
US11855336B2 (en) Metrocell antennas configured for mounting around utility poles
US11888220B2 (en) Base station antennas having bottom end caps with angled connector ports
US11589418B2 (en) Base station antenna units having arrays spanning multiple antennas that are connected by jumper cables
US20210126351A1 (en) Integrated active antennas suitable for massive mimo operation
EP3869612A1 (de) Konnektivität und feldaustauschbarkeit von auf basisstationsantennen montierten funkgeräten
US20240258709A1 (en) Base station antennas having an active antenna module(s) and related devices and methods
US20240213650A1 (en) Base station antennas having an active antenna module(s) and related mounting systems and methods
US12101853B2 (en) Base station antenna units having arrays spanning multiple antennas that are connected by jumper cables
WO2023123342A1 (en) Base station antennas with external pim shielding structures and related devices
EP4421978A2 (de) Basisstationsantennen mit einem oder mehreren aktiven antennenmodulen sowie zugehörige montagesysteme und -verfahren
WO2024039441A1 (en) Base station antennas having an active antenna module(s) and related mounting systems and methods

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: REQUEST FOR EXAMINATION WAS MADE

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20200515

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN

18W Application withdrawn

Effective date: 20230613