KR20070062890A - Adjustable beam antenna for mobile communication base station - Google Patents

Abstract

A variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station is provided to implement automatic optimization requested in a mobile communication network by adjusting a horizontal beam width. A variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station includes reflective plates(11,21,31), at least two radiation units(10,20,30), at least one power generation unit(13,23,33), and at least one power transfer instrument unit(12,22,32). The reflective plates(11,21,31) have at least one radiation element. The radiation units(10,20,30) are arranged vertically. The power generation unit(13,23,33) provides a rotation force by an external control signal. The power transfer instrument unit(12,22,32) transfers the rotation force generated from the power generation unit(13,23,33) to at least one of the reflective plates(11,21,31), and rotates the corresponding reflective plate(11,21,31).

Description

Variable beam control antenna for mobile communication base station {ADJUSTABLE BEAM ANTENNA FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATION BASE STATION}

1 is a schematic installation structure diagram of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to a first embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing an example of a rotation position of reflectors among antennas of FIG. 1;

3 is a structural diagram of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a diagram illustrating a beamwidth control simulation result of the antenna of FIG. 1.

5 is a diagram illustrating a beamwidth control simulation result of the antenna of FIG. 3.

6A, 6B, and 6C are perspective views of main parts of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the lower part of the second radiating part among the main parts of the antenna of FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C;

8A and 8B illustrate modified examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B.

The present invention relates to a base station antenna for mobile communication, and more particularly, to a variable beam control antenna for controlling the horizontal beam width of the antenna and the horizontal steering adjustment.

Fixed base antennas are used as base station antennas in mobile communication systems. However, in recent years, vertically variable down tilting antennas have been widely used due to many advantages. The vertically variable down tilting antenna uses a phase shifter to adjust the phase of the vertical array to vertically control the antenna beam according to the coverage of the cell site.

Recently, a technology for controlling the antenna beam in the horizontal direction to adjust the sector-oriented direction to the subscriber distribution of the cell site has been developed. To control the antenna beam in the horizontal direction, two methods are available. An electric horizontal beam control method using an electrical phase control of a signal supplied to each column using two or more columns of antennas, and a single-row antenna are used to mechanically There is a method of controlling by moving horizontally.

Of the two, mechanical control is preferred because of its advantages in terms of antenna size and cost, as well as electrical advantages that do not cause horizontal side lobes. Of course, the beam control in the vertical direction is controlled by a separate operation, so both vertical tilting and horizontal steering are equally applied.

By using the antenna having the two-dimensional control function of vertical tilting and horizontal steering, the network can be actively optimized according to the subscriber distribution. However, the two-dimensional beam control alone may cause problems in the actual cell site. For example, if the horizontal direction is adjusted to the distribution of subscribers in the three sectors of 120-degree units, the shadow area between sectors or the overlap sector between sectors increases. Therefore, when adjusting the horizontal direction, it is necessary to change the horizontal beam width in order to enable the suppression of the shadow area generation and the minimization of the overlap zone.

However, until now, the horizontal beam width variable function has been difficult to easily implement at low cost. The prior art for varying the horizontal beamwidth can be summarized in three ways.

The first method is to adjust the angle and length of the reflector in the single-row antenna, a technique that has been classically applied to the vertically polarized antenna. Such a technique may be exemplified by "Ref. Mobile Antenna System Handbook, K. Fujimoto and J. R. James pp. 133-134". However, this technology not only increases the antenna size due to the effective reflector length, but also degrades the isolation and cross polarization characteristics of the dual polarized antennas currently used in general.

The second method is a conventional antenna technology in which an antenna beam width is varied by realizing three or more columns of antennas in a horizontal direction to control the distribution ratio and phase of each column. An example of such a technique is disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2003-7000418 (name: cellular antenna) by Andrew Corporation. However, this method is unreasonable to be applied as a commercial product to mobile communication base stations.

Because a typical mobile communication base station antenna implements a predetermined beam width with antennas of one to two columns, in this method, at least three columns of antennas must be used, and there is an antenna size and a price problem, and in order to vary the distribution ratio and phase. This is because antenna gain is reduced because expensive and lossy components are used. Therefore, this type of antenna is mainly used for military purposes.

The third method is to control the beam width by realizing two or more columns of antennas in the horizontal direction, and mechanically staggering the horizontal direction of the reflecting plates in each row. However, with this type of antenna, it is difficult to form a conventional antenna beam for a sector in actual implementation. An example of such a technique is Korean Patent Application No. 2003-95761 (name: mobile communication base station antenna beam control apparatus) filed by the present applicant. When the antenna beam width is changed in this manner, when a wide beam width is realized, ripple occurs in the antenna forward direction and the overlap zone between sectors is increased because it is not a 'sharp roll-off' pattern. This method also has the disadvantage of requiring at least two columns of antennas.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna capable of controlling the horizontal beam width with one antenna.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station suitable for high function, low cost, and network optimization by enabling horizontal beam width to be controlled by one column of antennas.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station for controlling horizontal beam width and horizontal steering adjustment with one column of antennas.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, wherein at least one radiating element is composed of reflecting plates provided in each of them, and is arranged in at least two in the vertical direction and has the same center of rotation. Quartet;

At least one power generating unit providing rotational force by an external control signal;

Consists of a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational force generated by the power generating portion to at least one of the radiating portion to rotate the radiating portion.

Preferably, the antenna of the present invention includes a second power generator for providing a rotational force for rotating the radiator as a whole;

It further includes a second power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational force generated by the second power generating unit to the entire radiating portion to rotate the entire radiating portion.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details such as specific components are shown, which are provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and it is understood that these specific details may be changed or changed within the scope of the present invention. It is self-evident to those of ordinary knowledge in Esau.

FIG. 1 is a schematic installation structure diagram of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of rotation positions between reflectors of the antenna of FIG. 1.

1 and 2, the antenna for performing the horizontal beam width variable according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a structure of a single-row antenna as a whole, and separate the three radiating parts in the vertical direction. That is, the first radiator 10, the second radiator 20, and the third radiator 30 are separated and configured.

Each radiator consists of a reflector plate equipped with antenna elements, including one or more radiator elements suitably arranged to receive and transmit mobile radio signals.

In the example of FIG. 1, the first radiating portion 10 includes a first reflecting plate 11 having first, second, and third radiating elements 111, 112, and 113, and a second radiating portion 20. ) Is provided with a second reflecting plate 21 having fourth, fifth, and sixth radiating elements 211, 212, 213, and the third radiating portion 30 has a seventh, eighth, and ninth radiating elements. It is shown that a third reflector 31 with (311, 312, 313) is provided.

In the present embodiment, in each of the first, second, and third radiating portions 10, 20, and 30, each of the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11, 21, 31 has the same center of rotation and rotates. Configure to be possible. However, it may be configured to have different rotation centers deviating to some extent from the same rotation center.

The first, second, and third power generators may be configured by a motor for generating rotational force to the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11, 21, 31 by an external control signal. (13, 23, 33) are provided.

In addition, it is composed of a plurality of gears, shafts and bearings, and the like, and the rotational force generated in each of the first, second, and third power generating units 13, 23, 33 is respectively the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11. And first, second, and third power transmission mechanism parts 12, 22, and 32 for transmitting to the first and second parts 21, 31 to rotate the reflector.

The external control signal for controlling the operation of the first, second, third power generators 13, 23, 33 may be a wired or wireless signal from a remote place, such as near an antenna or from a base station main body (not shown) or a base station control station. It may be provided as.

As such, when the high-rise building is constructed in an adjacent area, a new base station is added, or a radio wave environment changes due to a temporary increase in call volume, the first, second, and third power generators 13, 23, An appropriate control signal is outputted to 33 so that the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11, 21, 31 rotate appropriately.

The first, second, and third radiating portions 10, 20, and 30 of the antenna configured as described above have one radome 50 sealed with upper and lower caps (not shown) serving as a housing as a whole. Is mounted within. In other words, it looks like one antenna.

3 is a diagram illustrating an installation structure of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 3 has the same structure in principle as the structure of the first embodiment shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, but only of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. In the antenna, the radiation elements provided in the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11, 21, and 31 have a single-row arrangement, whereas in the second embodiment of FIG. The difference is that the devices have a two-row arrangement.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a beam width control simulation result of the antenna of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a beam width control simulation result of the antenna of FIG. 3. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, for example, a second reflector 21 in the center is shown. As a reference, a change value of the horizontal beam width according to the rotation angle (direction) between the first and third reflecting plates 11 and 31 is shown, and the ice formation state is also good. The simulation results shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be summarized as shown in Tables 1 and 2 below.

Beam width 65 90 120 Radiator direction 0 ± 41 ± 54

Beam width 33 45 65 90 Radiator direction 0 ± 24 ± 30 ± 36

The variable beam control antennas for mobile communication base stations according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention as described above are mutually rotated by the first, second, and third radiators 10, 20, and 30 arranged vertically in one column. By controlling the direction appropriately, the horizontal beam width can be adjusted variably, and the beamforming with low ripple in the antenna forward direction can be achieved.

In this case, in the antenna according to the first and second embodiments, the first, second, and third power generators 13, 23, respectively, are provided to the first, second, and third radiating units 10, 20, and 30, respectively. 33), the first, second, and third reflector plates 11, 21, and 31 have been described as having a structure to rotate separately. In addition, only the power generating unit having one motor is installed, and the power from the First, second, third with power transmission mechanisms having a plurality of gears, gear shafts, etc. for transmission to some or all of each of the first, second, third radiating portions 10, 20, 30. It may have a structure for rotating part or all of the reflecting plates (11, 21, 31).

6A, 6B, and 6C are perspective views of main parts of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6A is a rear view of a main part of an antenna main part according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The view is shown, and FIG. 6B shows it from the lower right, and FIG. 6C shows it from a lower height than FIG. 6B. In this case, the illustration of the power generator is omitted in FIG. 6C. 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the lower part of the second radiating part among the main parts of the antenna of FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, and a state in which the front surface of the main part of the antenna according to the third embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the upper left.

6A to 6C and 7, the antenna according to the third embodiment of the present invention is divided into three radiators vertically, similarly to the structures according to the first and second embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The first, second, and third reflector plates 11 ', 21', 31 'are vertically installed to have the same center of rotation. In this case, as described in the first embodiment, the first to third reflecting plates may be installed to have different rotation centers.

The second reflector 21 'is fixed to the radome (not shown) by fixing guides (440a and 440b of FIG. 7), and the first and third reflector plates 11' and 31 'are rotatable. Is installed.

In addition, the power generating unit 33 ′ composed of a motor or the like is installed under the third reflecting plate 31 ′, wherein the rotation shaft of the motor of the power generating unit 33 ′ and the third reflecting plate 31 ′ are geared. The third reflector 31 ′ may be installed to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the motor.

In this structure, the first reflector 11 'is configured to rotate in the opposite direction when the third reflector 31' is rotated through a power transmission mechanism having a plurality of gears, gear shafts, and the like. As a mechanism part, it is comprised from the 1st-5th gear 411, 412, 413, 414, 415 and the gear shaft 416. As shown in FIG.

The first gear is attached to the upper end of the third reflecting plate 31 'and is installed to rotate when the third reflecting plate 31' is rotated, and the second gear 412 is engaged with the first gear 411 and the first gear 411 is rotated. The third gear 413 is installed to rotate in engagement with the second gear 412. In addition, the fifth gear 415 is attached to the lower end of the first reflecting plate 11 ′, and the first reflecting plate 11 ′ is installed to rotate when the fifth gear 415 rotates, and the fourth gear 414. Is engaged to rotate with the fifth gear 415.

At this time, the third gear 413 and the fourth gear 414 are connected to each other by a gear shaft 416 is installed. The gear shaft 4165 rotates when the third gear 413 rotates to rotate the fourth gear 414.

With this structure, the first gear 411, the second gear 412, the third gear 413, and the gear shaft at the time of the rotation of the third reflector 33 ′ driven by the power generator 33 ′ 416, the fourth gear 414 and the fifth gear 415 rotate in order, and thus, the first reflecting plate 11 ′ rotates in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the third reflecting plate 33 ′. .

The variable beam control antenna for the mobile communication base station according to the third embodiment of the present invention is implemented so that the first and third reflectors 11 'and 31' are interlocked with respect to the second reflector 21 '. The horizontal beam width can be variably adjusted by rotating in opposite directions. Meanwhile, in FIGS. 6A to 6C and 7, the support rods 430 are illustrated to be installed at appropriate positions in order to more firmly install the second reflector 21 ′.

8A and 8B illustrate modified examples of FIGS. 6A and 6B, and FIG. 8A illustrates a state in which a rear surface of an antenna main part according to a modified example of the third embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the upper left side, and FIG. The view is shown. Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, almost all of the structures of the antenna according to the third embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, are employed, and the horizontal steering width as well as the horizontal beam width of the antenna may be adjusted. The second power generating unit 53 and the second power transmitting mechanism unit 52 which are constituted by a motor (not shown) or the like for rotating the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11 ', 21', 31 '. It is provided.

The second power generating unit 53 is constituted by a motor for operating the external control signal to rotate the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11 ', 21', 31 '. In addition, the second power transmission mechanism 52 is installed under the fixed frame of the power generator 33 ', so that the rotation shaft of the motor of the second power generator 53 and the fixed frame of the power generator 33' are geared. It has a structure that connects to, it can be installed so that the fixed frame of the power generating section 33 'according to the rotation of the motor of the second power generating section (53). Accordingly, as the fixed frame of the power generator 33 ′ rotates, the first, second, and third reflecting plates 11 ′, 21 ′, and 31 ′ may rotate as a whole.

Of course, in such a configuration, the second reflector 21 'has been described as being fixed to the radome (not shown) by the fixing guides (440a and 440b of FIG. 7) in FIGS. 6A to 6C. In the configuration shown in FIG. 8B, the second reflector 21 ′ is installed to be rotatable and is not fixed to the radome.

Since the variable beam control antenna for the mobile communication base station according to the modification of the third embodiment of the present invention as described above is implemented, the first, second, and third reflector plates 11 ', 21', 31 'are rotatable as a whole. Therefore, the horizontal steering of the antenna can be variably adjusted.

As described above, the configuration and operation of a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station according to an embodiment of the present invention can be made. Meanwhile, the above-described description of the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, but various modifications of the present invention can be made. It can be carried out without departing from the scope.

For example, in the above description, the antenna according to the embodiments of the present invention has been described as being separated into three radiating parts, but in other embodiments of the present invention, two radiating parts or four or more radiating parts are configured. Of course it can be. The configuration of the radiator may be appropriately designed in consideration of vertical sidelobe characteristics, ease of production and cost, and the like.

In addition, in the above description, each of the radiators of the antenna according to the embodiments of the present invention employs a structure in which the rotating unit is rotated through a power generating unit and a power transmission mechanism unit, that is, a mechanical horizontal beam width variable scheme.

In addition, as in the case of the electric horizontal steering in which the phase of the signal transmitted to each radiating element is controlled to adjust the horizontal azimuth angle of the antenna beam, that is, the horizontal steering, in another embodiment of the present invention, the radiation of each radiating part is different. A structure in which the horizontal beam width of the antenna is adjusted by controlling the phase of a signal transmitted to the device, that is, an electric horizontal beam width variable method may be adopted.

As such, there may be various modifications or changes of the present invention, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the claims and the equivalents of the claims.

As described above, the variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station of the present invention

The horizontal beamwidth antenna can be manufactured at low cost by allowing the horizontal beamwidth to be adjusted by one column of antennas, and the automatic optimization required in the recent mobile communication wireless network can be easily implemented. In addition, according to the present invention, many kinds of antennas having different beam widths are required for each sector of a base station according to the wireless network design. However, according to the present invention, the beam width can be easily changed to one antenna as necessary.

In addition, the variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station of the present invention can control the horizontal beam width with the antenna of one column and can also adjust the horizontal steering.

Claims (12)

In the variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, At least one radiating element is made of a reflecting plate each installed, At least two radiators arranged in a vertical direction; At least one power generating unit providing rotational force by an external control signal; And a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational force generated by the power generating unit to at least one of the reflecting plates to rotate the reflecting plate. The method of claim 1, Each of the reflector plate is a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, characterized in that mounted in one radome sealed by the upper and lower caps, which serves as a housing as a whole. The method of claim 1, Each of the reflector plate has the same center of rotation, the variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station. The method of claim 1, And each reflector has a rotation center that is not the same. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The radiating element installed in each of the reflecting plate has a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, characterized in that it has a structure of one or two columns. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A second power generation unit providing a rotational force for rotating the radiating unit as a whole; And a second power transmission mechanism unit for transmitting the rotational force generated by the second power generator to the entire radiator to rotate the entire radiator. In the mobile communication base station variable beam control antenna, At least one radiating element is made of a reflecting plate each installed, First, second, and third radiating parts sequentially arranged in the vertical direction; A power generating unit generating a rotational force for rotating the reflector in the third radiating unit by an external control signal; A variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, comprising: a power transmission mechanism unit interlocked when the reflecting plate in the third radiating part is rotated to rotate the reflecting plate in the first radiating part in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the reflecting plate in the third radiating part. . According to claim 7, wherein the power transmission mechanism portion A first gear attached to one end of the reflecting plate in the third radiating part to rotate in response to the reflecting plate of the third radiating part being rotated; A second gear that rotates in association with the first gear; A third gear that rotates in association with the second gear; A gear shaft rotating in association with the third gear; A fourth gear that rotates in association with the gear shafter; And a fifth gear attached to one end of the reflecting plate in the first radiating part to rotate in association with the fourth gear to rotate the reflecting plate in the first radiating part. The method of claim 7, wherein Each of the reflector plate is a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, characterized in that mounted in one radome sealed by the upper and lower caps, which serves as a housing as a whole. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, The radiating elements provided in each of the reflecting plates have a variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, characterized in that the structure of one column or two columns. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, A second power generation unit providing a rotational force for rotating the radiating unit, the power generating unit, and the power transmission mechanism unit as a whole; The mobile communication base station further comprises a second power transmission mechanism unit for transmitting the rotational force generated by the second power generation unit to the power transmission mechanism unit at least to rotate the radiating unit, power generation unit, power transmission mechanism unit as a whole. Adjustable beam control antenna for In the variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, At least one radiating element is made of a reflecting plate each installed, At least two radiators arranged in a vertical direction; A variable shifter driven by a control signal to control a phase of a signal transmitted to each of the radiators; A variable beam control antenna for a mobile communication base station, characterized by comprising a power generator for generating power for driving the variable phase shifter by an external control signal.

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