KR20030012131A - Remote adjustment system and method for anntena for the use of mobile communication base station - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A remote control system of an antenna for mobile communication base station is provided to reduce a labor cost by controlling remotely a vertical beam characteristic of the antenna for mobile communication base station. CONSTITUTION: A base station control portion is formed with a plurality of sector antenna units(110,120,130), a central control unit(160), and an RF modem(170). The central control portion(160) processes an antenna control command for controlling beam characteristics of each antenna. The RF modem(170) performs an RF communication function between the central control unit(160) and a remote control unit. The remote control unit is formed with an RF modem(180) and a portable terminal(190). A communication network(200) is used for performing a communication function between the sector antenna units(110,120,130) and the central control unit(160).

Description

REMOTE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANNTENA FOR THE USE OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION BASE STATION}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station, and more particularly, to a system for remotely adjusting a vertical beam directivity characteristic of an antenna for a mobile communication base station capable of remotely and wirelessly adjusting the vertical beam directing characteristic of a base station antenna.

In general, as shown in FIG. 1, an antenna device for a mobile communication base station is connected to a transmitting / receiving antenna 1 composed of a plurality of copiers and the transmitting / receiving antenna to distribute transmission signals to a plurality of radiating elements, respectively. And a divider / combiner (2) for combining the received signals of the radiating element into one, and a transmit / receive divider (3) connected to the divider / combiner for distributing transmit and receive bidirectional signals, respectively. A low noise amplifier (LNA) 4 and a high power amplifier (HPA) 5 are respectively connected to the receiving end and the transmitting end of the.

However, in the above-mentioned antenna apparatus for a mobile communication base station, since the beam direction of the dual-communication antenna is set to match the condition of the service area, the antenna beam tower is used to adjust the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the antenna as necessary. The operator had to climb up and communicate with another operator who measured the signal while simultaneously adjusting the tilt of the antenna on the tower.

Therefore, in case of the antenna for the existing mobile communication base station, it is very inconvenient to adjust the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the antenna, and also requires several workers, which increases the operating cost of the mobile communication system according to the increase in labor costs. There were various problems such as taking a lot.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the present invention is to enable the vertical beam directivity characteristics of the antenna for the mobile communication base station installed in the pylon on the building to be adjusted remotely without going up to the antenna pylon, work vehicle An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna adjustment system and method for a mobile communication base station, which enables an operator to easily adjust the vertical beam directing characteristic of the antenna while moving.

1 is a block diagram of a dual transmit and receive antenna installed in a conventional mobile communication base station

2 is a block diagram of an antenna remote control system for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of a dual transmit and receive antenna used in the remote control system of the present invention

4 is an antenna side view illustrating a state in which a phase shifter is installed in the transmitting and receiving antenna of FIG. 3.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of an antenna performed by a central controller of the mobile communication base station of FIG. 2 according to a command transmitted from a mobile terminal;

6 is a flowchart illustrating operations performed by the portable terminal of FIG. 2 according to an operator's command.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

110, 120, 130: sector antenna device 111: copier

111a-111d: radiating element 112: phase shifter

113: distributor / combiner 114: transmitter / receiver

115: motor 116: position sensor

117: antenna controller 118: network interface port

140: low noise amplifier 150: high power amplifier

160: central controller 170, 180: wireless modem

190: mobile terminal

In one embodiment of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in a system for adjusting the beam characteristics of a sector antenna apparatus for a mobile communication base station composed of a plurality of transmit and receive antennas, each transmit / receive antenna of the sector antenna apparatus And base station control means for receiving an external control command through a wireless modem, controlling the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna device according to the wireless received control command, or generating and wirelessly transmitting a processing result thereof. ; Remote control means for generating an antenna control command for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna apparatus according to the key operation state by the key input means to transmit to the outside or wirelessly receive and display the command processing result. An antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station is provided.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the base station control means is connected to an external controller through one communication network, the beam characteristics of the plurality of transmit / receive antennas according to a control signal transmitted through the communication network A sector antenna apparatus for changing alpha, beta, and gamma directions; Analyze an antenna control command received from an external device to control any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices through the communication network, and receive and analyze a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command from the corresponding sector antenna device. A central controller for generating a response signal corresponding to the control command and transmitting the signal to an external device; Receives and demodulates an antenna control command transmitted from an external device through an interface to a wireless network and transmits it to the central controller or modulates a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command from the central controller into a wireless signal and modulates the external device. It can be configured to include a wireless modem to transmit to.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the remote control means is equipped with a key input means for inputting an antenna control command for adjusting the beam characteristics of each sector antenna device and a display means thereof, and in a key operation state. A portable terminal for generating an antenna control command or displaying processing results transmitted from the base station control means in response to the antenna control command; Modulating and wirelessly transmitting an antenna control command generated according to a key operation through an interface to a wireless network to transmit the result to the base station control means, or wirelessly receiving and demodulating a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command from the base station control means. It can be configured to include a wireless modem.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, the sector antenna device, a phase shifter for vertically adjusting the direction of the vertical beam radiated or absorbed by the antenna radiation element; A motor providing power to vary the amount of displacement of the phase shifter; A position sensor for sensing an amount of rotation of the motor; An antenna controller for controlling the phase shift of the antenna radiation element by controlling the operation of the motor according to an antenna control command transmitted from the central controller through a communication network and a detection signal of the position sensor; It may be configured to include a network interface port for communication with the communication network.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a phase shifter for varying beam characteristics is provided in a plurality of transmit / receive antennas, and the plurality of transmit / receive antennas are connected to one communication network. A method of adjusting the beam characteristics of a sector antenna apparatus for a mobile communication base station, comprising the steps of: (a) generating, by a remote control means, an antenna control command for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna apparatus and transmitting wirelessly; (b) a base station control means, receiving and analyzing the radio transmitted antenna control command to control a phase shifter of any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices to adjust the direction of the beam of the antenna radiating element, and the corresponding sector antenna Wirelessly transmitting an antenna control command processing result from the apparatus to the remote control means; and (c) receiving and displaying the wirelessly transmitted antenna control command processing result in a remote control means.

The objects of the present invention, and the technical features and advantages of the present invention for achieving these objects will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention by using a configuration diagram and a flowchart of an antenna system for a mobile communication base station. However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be variously modified and modified by those skilled in the art.

First, an embodiment of an antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an antenna remote control system for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the present invention includes alpha and beta consisting of one transmitting antenna and two receiving antennas # 1 and # 2. And a base station control means composed of a sector antenna device (110, 120, 130) in the gamma direction, a central controller (160) and a radio (RF) modem 170, and a radio modem (180) and a mobile terminal (190). It comprises a remote control means.

Referring to FIG. 2, the base station control means includes a central controller 160 for receiving and processing antenna control commands for controlling beam characteristics of each antenna from the remote control means, and the central controller and the remote control means. A wireless (RF) modem 170 for wireless communication, and a communication network 200 for communication between the sector antenna device and the central controller. In this case, the central controller 160 analyzes an antenna control command received from an external device according to an operation flow as illustrated in FIG. 5 to control any one of the plurality of sector antenna apparatuses through the communication network. The processing result corresponding to the antenna control command is received and analyzed from the corresponding sector antenna device to generate an error signal and a response signal corresponding to the control command and transmit the result to the external device. The wireless modem 170 receives and demodulates an antenna control command transmitted from an external device through an interface to a wireless network, transmits the demodulated control command to the central controller 160, and transmits a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command to the central controller 160. It receives from controller and modulates into wireless signal and sends it to external device.

As a result, the base station control means may be connected to each transmit / receive antenna of the sector antenna device to receive an external control command through a wireless modem, and analyze the wireless received control command according to the analysis result. It is possible to control the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna device or to wirelessly transmit the command processing result of the sector antenna device through the wireless modem. Reference numerals 140 and 150 denote low noise amplifiers (LNA) for amplifying the signals of the reception antennas included in each sector antenna device, and high power amplifiers (HPA) for amplifying the signals of the transmission antennas.

Also referring to FIG. 2, the remote control means includes a key input means for an operator to input an antenna control command and a portable terminal 190 including display means for displaying reception information from a mobile communication base station. ), A wireless (RF) modem 180 for wireless communication between the mobile terminal 190 and the base station control means. Here, the portable terminal 190 may use a portable information terminal (PDA) or a notebook computer. Here, the portable terminal 190 corresponds to a key operation state in a key input unit capable of inputting an antenna control command for adjusting the beam characteristics of each sector antenna apparatus according to the operation flow illustrated in FIG. 6. An antenna control command is generated and the processing results transmitted from the base station control means in response to the corresponding antenna control command are displayed on the display means (not shown). The wireless modem 180 modulates an antenna control command generated according to a key operation, wirelessly transmits the signal to a base station control means by transmitting it remotely through an interface to a wireless network, or sends a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command. Radio reception and demodulation from the base station control means.

As a result, the remote control means may generate an antenna control command for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna apparatus according to the key operation state by the key input means, and transmit the radio control to the outside, and process the antenna control command. The result can be wirelessly received and displayed from the base station control means.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a dual transmit / receive antenna used in an antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating an antenna in which a phase shifter is installed in the dual transmit / receive antenna of FIG.

Referring to these drawings, the sector antenna apparatus includes a copier 111 having a plurality of radiating elements 111a to 111d radiating or absorbing radio waves transmitted and received by an antenna, and a vertical beam radiated or absorbed by the antenna radiating element. The phase shifter 112 for adjusting the direction up and down, the divider / combiner 113 for distributing / combining the phase shifted signal, the transmit / receive divider 114 for separating the transmit / receive signal, respectively, According to the motor 115 for providing power for varying the displacement amount, the position sensor 116 for detecting the rotation amount of the motor, the antenna control command transmitted from the central controller through the communication network and the detection signal of the position sensor An antenna controller 117 for controlling the phase shift of the antenna radiation element by controlling the operation of the motor, and a network for communicating with the central controller through the communication network 200. It is configured to include an interface port 118. Here, the position sensor 116 may of course use a sensor or an encoder for recognizing the position of the motor.

Next, an embodiment of an antenna adjustment method for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention will be described.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adjusting an antenna, the method comprising: (a) generating and transmitting an antenna control command for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna apparatus in a remote control unit; Receive and analyze wirelessly transmitted antenna control commands to control the phase shifter of any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices to adjust the direction of the beam of the antenna radiation element, and to process the antenna control command processing result in the corresponding sector antenna device. And wirelessly transmitting to the remote control means, and (c) receiving and displaying the wirelessly transmitted antenna control command processing result at the remote control means.

And (b) processing in the base station control means, (b1) receiving and analyzing the wirelessly transmitted antenna control command and transmitting the antenna control command to any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices via a communication network. (B2) controlling a phase shifter installed in the corresponding sector antenna device to adjust a beam direction of the antenna radiating element, and (b3) receiving an antenna control command processing result from the corresponding sector antenna device; Determining whether an error occurs and the control situation, and wirelessly transmitting the determination result to the remote control means, respectively.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of adjusting a vertical beam directivity characteristic of an antenna performed by a central controller of the mobile communication base station of FIG. 2 according to a command transmitted from a portable terminal, and FIG. 6 is a portable terminal of FIG. 2 according to an operator's command. Is a flow chart illustrating an operation to be processed, and these two figures illustrate a processing procedure for the method of the present invention for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of a sector antenna device for a mobile communication base station using a phase shifter and a communication network.

First, as illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the processing procedure in the base station control means includes initializing the central controller and each antenna controller in sequence (S501-S507), and the direction of the beam of the antenna according to the operator's command. And transmitting the antenna control command for adjusting the antenna to a corresponding sector antenna device to control beam characteristics of the antenna (S508-S517).

That is, referring to FIG. 5, when power is initially applied to the antenna system of the base station, a step of initializing the central controller (S501), a step of determining whether an error occurs during the initialization (S502), and the determination result, the central controller If an error occurs, displaying the error and terminating the operation of the system for the operator's troubleshooting (S503), and if there is no error as a result of the determination step of initializing each antenna controller (S504) and the initialization Determining whether an error occurs during operation (S505); if an error of the antenna controller occurs as a result of the determination, recording an error (S506); and comparing the antenna number and the number of antennas to initialize the next antenna controller. Step (S507), and after initializing all antenna controllers, waiting for a command of a remote operator to operate (S508), and The command checks the address and password from the operator's command received through the RF modem, respectively (S509 and S510), and if the address is not his or his password is wrong, the process returns to the step of waiting for a new worker's command and In the case of the address and password, the step of determining the error (S511), and if there is no error as a result of the determination, there is no error, and if there is an error transmitting the error to the worker (S512), and from the worker Waiting for a tilt angle adjustment command of the beam of the new antenna (S513); if the command is transmitted, transmitting a tilt angle adjustment command of the beam to a phase displacement controller of the corresponding antenna (S514); and an error in command transmission Determining whether or not it occurs (S515), and if the operation is normal, the process returns to the step of waiting for a new command, and if an error occurs And transmitting the error to the terminal (S516), and when the worker completes the beam adjustment of the antenna of the base station, ending the work and waiting for a new work (S517).

Next, the processing procedure in the remote control means, as illustrated in the flow chart of Figure 6, the authentication step for initializing the mobile terminal and communication with the central controller of the base station (S601-S606), and the authenticated base station The method may include a step of wirelessly transmitting an antenna control command (S607), and receiving and displaying the result of the wirelessly transmitted antenna control command processing (S608-S610).

That is, referring to FIG. 6, step S601 of applying power to a mobile terminal, executing a work program, and sequentially inputting an address and a password of a base station of a corresponding service area using pin code information of the mobile terminal, respectively. Step (S602, S603), waiting for a response from the base station (S604), determining whether an error occurs as a result of the password authentication from the base station (S605), and if there is an error in the base station, displaying and recording an error message Step S606, inputting an antenna control command such as sector number, antenna number, tilt, etc. when normally encrypted is authenticated, and these commands are sent to the central controller of the base station to determine whether the command is being executed or an error is detected. Determining whether there is an error (S608), if there is an error, displaying and recording an error message (S609), and a command normally Determining whether to continue the operation if there is no error, and returning to the step of inputting a new command thereafter, or terminating the program to terminate communication with the central controller when the operation is to be terminated (S610). .

The operation of the mobile communication base station antenna coordination system and its effects according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

First, in the base station control means, when power is initially applied to the base station antenna system, initialization of the central controller 160 is performed (S501). At this time, it is determined whether an error occurs when the central controller is initialized (S502), and when an error occurs ("TRUE" branch of S502), an error is displayed and the operation of the system is terminated (S503) for troubleshooting of the operator. If there is no error ("FALSE" branch of S502), each antenna controller is initialized (S504). At this time, it is determined whether an error occurs when the antenna controller is initialized (S505). When an error occurs in the antenna controller ("TRUE" branch of S505), the central controller records an error (S506). The process returns to step S504 of initializing the next antenna controller while comparing the number of antennas (S507). After initializing all antenna controllers ("TRUE" branch of S507), it is determined whether a command of an operator operating in the remote control means is received (S508). At this time, if the operator's command is received through the radio (RF) modem 170 ("TRUE" branch of S508) to check the address (S509), and if the corresponding address is his or her password (S510). . If it is not its own address ("FALSE" branch of S509) or if the password is incorrect ("FALSE" branch of S510), it waits for a new worker's command. As a result of the checking, if the address is correct and the password is correct ("TRUE" branch of S510), it is determined whether an error has occurred in system initialization (S511). If the result of the determination is that there is an error ("TRUE" branch of S511), The operator transmits an error message (S512), and if there is no error (“FALSE” branch of S511), transmits no error (omitted in the drawing). After waiting for the command to adjust the tilt angle of the beam of a new antenna from the operator, the antenna of the sector antenna device that is applicable only when a normal adjustment command is transmitted ("TRUE" branch of S513), but it is ignored if it is misoperated). A command for adjusting the tilt angle of the beam of the phase shifter is transmitted to the controller (S514). Then, if it is normally operated by checking whether an error has occurred (515), it is immediately determined whether the operation is terminated immediately (S517), and if the operation continues, the process returns to the step of waiting for a new command (S513), and the determination result (S515). If an error occurs ("TRUE" branch of S515), the error information is transmitted to the mobile terminal (S516). When the worker has completed the beam adjustment of the antenna of the base station, the work ends and waits for a new work.

On the other hand, in the remote control means when the operator first powers up the portable terminal 190 and executes a work program, the portable terminal is initialized (S601), after which the worker uses the pin code information of the portable terminal to the base station of the service area. In step S602 and S603, an address and a password are input in order to wait for a response from the base station (S604). After that, if the password authentication is normally performed from the base station, the base station responds to the mobile terminal, and at the same time, the base station transmits a list of error information generated in the system to the terminal so that the operator can check the received error message. Therefore, when an error is received from the base station ("TRUE" branch of S605), the mobile terminal displays and records the error message (S606), thereby repairing the corresponding antenna by referring to the error occurring in the base station as a worker. To do it. When the portable terminal is operating normally ("FALSE" branch of S605), the operator can input an antenna control command such as a sector number, an antenna number, and a slope, and then the operator inputs an antenna control command (S607). These commands are then sent to the central controller of the base station to execute the commands. At this time, if there is a command error (“TRUE” branch of S608), an error message may be transmitted and displayed and recorded (S609), and if executed normally, an error-free response is sent. Therefore, the mobile terminal checks whether an antenna control command error has occurred and displays an error message (S609) when there is an error ("TRUE" branch of S608), and performs an operation when there is no error ("FALSE" branch of S608). It is determined whether to continue (S610). As a result of the determination, when the operation is continued ("FALSE" branch of S610), the process returns to the step of inputting a new command, and when the operation is to be terminated ("TRUE" branch of S610), the program is terminated to communicate with the central controller. To exit.

Thus, when the worker ends the work and returns to the office to connect the personal computer to the portable terminal to write a work log, the error message recorded on the portable terminal can be downloaded to the personal computer, and the portable terminal and the central controller are used. It is possible to receive the error information of the base station antenna by using the communication contents and the beam characteristics adjustment work of the antenna.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art, and are included in the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

According to the present invention as described above, the direction of the beam of the antenna for the mobile communication base station can be adjusted remotely up and down to meet the conditions of the service area without going up to the antenna tower, so that at least one operator The directivity can be adjusted, which not only reduces labor costs, but also significantly reduces work time.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the communication between the controller of the antenna is processed by the network, the installation and after-sales service is easy, and the operator is light and convenient to use the two-way communication using a portable information terminal and a wireless modem, work information and antenna There is an advantage that can be checked remotely.

In addition, there is an advantage that can prevent data confusion with the central controller of the adjacent base station, and to prevent illegal access by using a password when accessing.

Claims (6)

Claims [1] A system for adjusting beam characteristics of a sector antenna device for a mobile communication base station, comprising a plurality of transmit / receive antennas, It is connected to each transmit / receive antenna of the sector antenna device, receives an external control command through a wireless modem, and controls the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna device according to the wireless received control command or the processing result thereof. Base station control means for generating and transmitting wirelessly; Remote control means for generating an antenna control command for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna apparatus according to the key operation state by the key input means to transmit to the outside or wirelessly receive and display the command processing result. Antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station control means, A sector antenna device in alpha, beta, and gamma directions, connected to an external controller through one communication network and changing beam characteristics of the plurality of transmit / receive antennas according to control signals transmitted through the communication network; Analyze an antenna control command received from an external device to control any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices through the communication network, and receive and analyze a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command from the corresponding sector antenna device. A central controller for generating a response signal corresponding to the control command and transmitting the signal to an external device; Receives and demodulates an antenna control command transmitted from an external device through an interface to a wireless network and transmits it to the central controller or modulates a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command from the central controller into a wireless signal and modulates the external device. Antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station comprising a wireless modem for transmitting to. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote control means, Equipped with a key input means for inputting an antenna control command for adjusting the beam characteristics of each sector antenna device and a display means, to generate an antenna control command according to the key operation state or in response to the antenna control command A portable terminal for displaying processing results transmitted from the base station control means; Modulating and wirelessly transmitting an antenna control command generated according to a key operation through an interface to a wireless network to transmit the result to the base station control means, or wirelessly receiving and demodulating a processing result corresponding to the antenna control command from the base station control means. Antenna adjustment system for a mobile communication base station comprising a wireless modem. The method of claim 1, wherein the sector antenna device, A phase shifter for vertically adjusting the direction of the vertical beam radiated or absorbed by the antenna radiation element; A motor providing power to vary the amount of displacement of the phase shifter; A position sensor for sensing an amount of rotation of the motor; An antenna controller for controlling the phase shift of the antenna radiation element by controlling the operation of the motor according to an antenna control command transmitted from the central controller through a communication network and a detection signal of the position sensor; And a network interface port for communication with the communication network. A phase shifter for changing beam characteristics of a plurality of transmit / receive antennas and a method of adjusting beam characteristics of a sector antenna apparatus for a mobile communication base station configured by connecting the plurality of transmit / receive antennas into one communication network In (a) generating and wirelessly transmitting an antenna control command for adjusting the vertical beam directivity characteristic of the sector antenna device in the remote control means; (b) a base station control means, receiving and analyzing the radio transmitted antenna control command to control a phase shifter of any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices to adjust the direction of the beam of the antenna radiating element, and the corresponding sector antenna Wirelessly transmitting an antenna control command processing result from the apparatus to the remote control means; and (c) receiving and displaying the wirelessly transmitted antenna control command processing result in a remote control means. The method of claim 5, wherein (b) the processing at the base station controller (b1) receiving and analyzing the wirelessly transmitted antenna control command and transmitting the antenna control command to any one of the plurality of sector antenna devices through a communication network; (b2) adjusting a direction of a beam of the antenna radiation element by controlling a phase shifter installed in the corresponding sector antenna device; (b3) receiving an antenna control command processing result from the corresponding sector antenna device to determine whether an error has occurred and a control situation, and wirelessly transmitting the determination result to a remote control means, respectively. Antenna adjustment method for base station.