WO2021248887A1

WO2021248887A1 - Feed network, antenna system, and base station

Info

Publication number: WO2021248887A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/140919
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王强; 刘培涛; 刘苑辉
Original assignee: 京信通信技术(广州)有限公司
Priority date: 2020-06-11
Filing date: 2020-12-29
Publication date: 2021-12-16
Also published as: CN212412206U

Abstract

The present application relates to a feed network, an antenna system, and a base station. A metal cavity in the feed network is provided at the back of a reflection plate, so that radiation units are fixedly connected to the metal cavity by means of through holes on the reflection plate; microstrips in the feed network are provided on the surface of the side of the metal cavity facing the reflection plate, so that one ends of the microstrips are electrically connected to output ports of striplines in the metal cavity, and the other ends of the microstrips are electrically connected to the radiation units corresponding to the output ports, so as to implement switching between the feed network and the radiation units. A cableless solution provided by the present application can greatly simplify the structure of the feed network and improve the performance and coverage effect of the antenna system.

Description

Feeding network, antenna system and base station

This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application filed with the Chinese Patent Office on June 11, 2020 with the application number 202021073083.4 and the utility model titled "Feeding Network, Antenna System and Base Station", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference middle.

Technical field

The embodiment of the utility model relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a feeder network, an antenna system and a base station.

Background technique

In the related art, the feeding network usually adopts the cable and the feeding inner core of the antenna radiating unit to switch. This method of switching by cables is very difficult to wire and assemble during mass production, and the efficiency is very low. In addition, the conventional cable switching method is to achieve structural layout and production operability. Compared with the optimal physical length, the network length generally has a certain degree of redundancy. As a result, the electromagnetic signal needs to pass through a certain path from the input end to the antenna radiating unit. The electromagnetic signal power loss increases, especially for antennas with compact structure, complex boundaries, more operating frequencies, and more ports. In order to meet the layout requirements, the required cable itself will have more loss, and if there is more cable length redundancy , It will further increase the power loss of the electromagnetic signal, reduce the performance of the antenna, and affect the coverage effect of the antenna.

Summary of the invention

(1) Technical problems to be solved

The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to solve the problem that the structure of the existing feeder network is complicated, which affects the performance and coverage effect of the antenna.

(2) Technical solution

In order to solve the above technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a feeder network, an antenna system, and a base station.

The first aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a feeder network, which includes:

Metal cavity, strip line and microstrip line; among them, the metal cavity is arranged on the back of the reflector, and the radiation unit is fixedly connected to the metal cavity through the through hole on the reflector; the stripline is arranged in the metal cavity; The strip line is arranged on the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector. There is a gap between the microstrip line and the reflector. One end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the output port of the strip line, and the other end of the microstrip line is connected to the output port. The radiation unit corresponding to the port is electrically connected.

In a feasible implementation, the strip line includes N output ports, and N-2 microstrip lines are provided on the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector; wherein, the first and second strip lines The N output ports are directly electrically connected to the inner cores of the feeders of the respective corresponding radiating units; the second to N-1 output ports on the strip line are respectively electrically connected to one end of the corresponding microstrip line. The other end of the line is electrically connected to the inner core of the feeder of the radiating unit corresponding to the output port to which it is connected; where N is a positive integer.

In a feasible implementation manner, the second to N-1th output ports on the strip line and the N-2 microstrip lines on the metal cavity may have a one-to-one correspondence.

In a feasible implementation manner, the second to N-1th output ports on the strip line are respectively electrically connected to one end of the corresponding microstrip line through a metal adapter.

In a feasible implementation manner, the cores of the feeders of the radiating units corresponding to the second to N-1th output ports on the strip line are inserted into the respective corresponding microstrip lines, and the respective corresponding microstrip lines are connect.

In a feasible embodiment, the cores of the feeder wires of the radiating unit corresponding to the first and Nth output ports of the stripline are inserted into the metal cavity to connect with the first and Nth output ports of the stripline. connect.

In a feasible implementation manner, the microstrip line may be one of the following microstrip lines: air microstrip line, printed circuit board (Printed Circuit Board, PCB for short) microstrip line.

In a feasible embodiment, the strip line is provided with a sliding medium that can relatively slide on the strip line.

The second aspect of the embodiments of the present utility model provides an antenna system, which includes: a radiation unit, a reflector, and the feed network referred to in the first aspect, wherein the radiation unit is arranged on the front of the reflector, and the feed network Set on the back of the reflector.

A third aspect of the embodiments of the present utility model provides a base station, which includes: the feeder network referred to in the first aspect.

(3) Beneficial effects

Compared with the prior art, the above-mentioned technical solution provided by the embodiment of the utility model has the following advantages:

In the embodiment of the present invention, the metal cavity in the feed network is arranged on the back of the reflector, so that the radiation unit is fixedly connected to the metal cavity through the through hole on the reflector, and the microstrip in the feed network is fixedly connected to the metal cavity. The wire is arranged on the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector, so that one end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the output port of the strip line in the metal cavity, and the other end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the radiation unit corresponding to the output port. The connection realizes the switching between the feeding network and the radiating unit. Since the feeding network in the embodiment of the present utility model is connected to the radiating unit through the microstrip line provided on the surface of the metal cavity instead of using a cable, it can solve the assembly difficulties caused by the use of cable switching in the related technology. , The problem of low wiring efficiency and large electromagnetic signal loss greatly simplifies the structure of the feed network and improves the performance and coverage effect of the antenna system.

Description of the drawings

The drawings here are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, show embodiments conforming to the utility model, and together with the specification are used to explain the principle of the utility model.

In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, for those of ordinary skill in the art In other words, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a feeder network provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of a feeder network provided by an embodiment of the present utility model;

Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a feeder network provided by an embodiment of the present utility model;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the feed network provided by the embodiment of FIG. 3;

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

In order to be able to understand the above objectives, features and advantages of the present utility model more clearly, the solution of the present utility model will be further described below. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other if there is no conflict.

In the following description, many specific details are explained in order to fully understand the utility model, but the utility model can also be implemented in other ways different from those described here; obviously, the embodiments in the specification are only part of the implementation of the utility model. Examples, not all examples.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present utility model, the following first explains the professional terms involved in the embodiments of the present utility model:

1. Microstrip line: The microstrip line is a microwave transmission line composed of a single conductor strip supported on a dielectric substrate, and a grounded metal plate is made on the other side of the substrate.

2. Strip line: It is a printed wire between two grounding layers. It is a copper strip line placed in the middle of the dielectric between the two conductive planes.

3. Reflector: metal plate, used to enhance the directivity of the antenna.

4. Radiation unit: It is the unit of the basic structure of the antenna, which can effectively radiate or receive radio waves.

5. Feeding network: It is an important component of the base station. It connects the base station and the radiating unit in the antenna to form an electromagnetic signal transmission path. It is used to output the electromagnetic signal input from the base station to the radiating unit or to receive the radiating unit. The electromagnetic signal is transmitted to the base station.

The embodiment of the present utility model provides a cable-free feeder network solution. As an example, Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a feeder network provided by an embodiment of the present utility model. As shown in Figure 1, this embodiment provides The feed network at least includes a metal cavity 10, a strip line 11 and a microstrip line 12.

The strip line 11 is arranged inside the metal cavity 10, the strip line 11 is provided with a power section and a sliding medium that can slide relatively on the strip line 11, and the power section of the strip line 11 is used to remove the power from the strip The electromagnetic signal input from the input port of line 11 is converted into multiple electromagnetic signals. The sliding medium on the strip line 11 covers the periphery of the power section, and is used to adjust the phase of the electromagnetic signal to realize the phase balance from the input port to the output port. The material of the sliding medium can be one of the following: polyetherimide, polytetrafluoroethylene, ceramic, polyphenylene sulfide, acrylonitrile-styrene-butadiene copolymer, polyphenylene ether, polyamide, poly Formaldehyde resin, liquid crystal polymer, polycarbonate, vinylidene fluoride.

The metal cavity 10 is arranged on the back of the reflector 13 to shield external electromagnetic signals and prevent the external electromagnetic signals from interfering with the electromagnetic signals on the strip line 11.

The radiation unit 14 in the antenna system is fixedly connected to the metal cavity 10 through the through hole on the reflector 13.

The microstrip line 12 is arranged on the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflecting plate 13 and forms a gap with the reflecting plate 13. Wherein, one end of the microstrip line 12 is configured to be electrically connected to the output port of the strip line 11, and the other end of the microstrip line 12 is configured to be electrically connected to the corresponding radiating unit 14, so as to realize the output port of the strip line and the radiation Transfer between units. The microstrip line referred to in this embodiment may be at least one of the following microstrip lines: air microstrip line and PCB microstrip line.

In this embodiment, the metal cavity in the feeding network is arranged on the back of the reflector, so that the radiation unit is fixedly connected to the metal cavity through the through hole on the reflector, and the microstrip line in the feeding network is arranged On the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector, one end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the output port of the strip line in the metal cavity, and the other end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the radiation unit corresponding to the output port. The switch between the feeding network and the radiating unit is realized. Since the feeder network in this embodiment is switched with the radiating unit through the microstrip line provided on the surface of the metal cavity instead of using cables, it can solve the assembly difficulties and wiring caused by the use of cable switching in the related technology. The problems of low efficiency and large electromagnetic signal loss greatly simplify the structure of the feed network and improve the performance and coverage effect of the antenna system. In addition, since the cable-free design is adopted in this embodiment, there is no need to consider cable interference, and the metal cavity in the feed network does not need to be electroplated, which reduces the process difficulty.

For example, FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of a feeder network provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, in an implementation of the embodiment of the present invention, the strip line in the metal cavity 10 Multiple output ports 21 may be included. One output port corresponds to one radiating unit 14. For each radiation unit 14, a corresponding microstrip line can be provided on the surface of the metal cavity. Each output port on the strip line is switched to the corresponding radiating unit 14 through the corresponding microstrip line, and the medium in the microstrip line is configured so that the electromagnetic wave length from each output port to the corresponding radiating unit is the same. Ensure the synchronization of electromagnetic signal transmission. For example, if the stripline includes N output ports, and N is a positive integer, then N microstrip lines can be set on the surface of the metal cavity correspondingly, so that each microstrip line has the same output port as the stripline. For one correspondence, the output port on the strip line is switched to the corresponding radiating unit 14 through the microstrip line.

In this embodiment, the stripline includes multiple output ports. By setting a microstrip line for each output port, each output port can be switched to the corresponding radiating unit through the microstrip line. To solve the problems of assembly difficulties, low wiring efficiency, and large electromagnetic signal loss caused by the use of cable switching in the related technology, especially for antennas with compact structure, more operating frequencies, and more ports, this embodiment uses a microstrip line instead of The cable switches the output port of the strip line to the corresponding radiating unit, which can greatly simplify the structure of the feeder network, reduce the complexity of the feeder network assembly, and reduce the loss of electromagnetic signals in the transmission process.

For example, FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a feeding network provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the metal cavity 10 is arranged on the back of the reflector (not shown in FIG. 3), and the microstrip line 12 is arranged on the surface of the metal cavity 10 facing the reflecting plate, forming a gap with the reflecting plate. The radiation unit 14 is fixedly connected to the metal cavity 10 through the through hole on the reflector. Specifically, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding network provided by the embodiment of FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, in the feeding network, the metal cavity 10 includes a strip line 11, and the strip line 11 includes N outputs. Port, the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector is provided with N-2 microstrip lines 12, the N-2 microstrip lines and the second to N-1 output ports on the strip line One correspondence, where N is a positive integer.

Specifically, in the feeding network provided in this embodiment, the first and Nth output ports of the strip line 11 are configured to be directly electrically connected to the respective corresponding radiation units 14. In order to shorten the distance between the first and Nth output ports of the stripline 11 to the corresponding radiating unit as much as possible, and reduce the loss in the electromagnetic signal transmission process, in an exemplary embodiment, the The feeding core 31 of the radiating unit corresponding to the first output port of the strip line 11 is directly inserted into the inside of the metal cavity 10 so that it is directly connected to the first output port of the strip line 11. Similarly, the feeding core of the radiation unit corresponding to the Nth output port of the stripline 11 can be directly inserted into the inside of the metal cavity to be directly connected to the Nth output port of the stripline 11.

The 2nd to N-1th output ports of the strip line 11 are respectively connected to one end of the corresponding microstrip line 12, and the other end of the microstrip line 12 is connected to the corresponding feeding core of the radiating unit 14. Connect, so that the 2nd to N-1th output ports of the strip line 11 are switched to the corresponding radiating unit. Among them, in order to avoid the use of cables as much as possible and reduce electromagnetic signal transmission loss, this embodiment may exemplarily use a metal adapter 32 to connect one end of the microstrip line to the corresponding output port of the strip line. Of course, the metal adapter used in this embodiment is only one of the many switching methods between the microstrip line and the output port, but not all of them. In fact, any harder material can be used in other implementations. The non-deformable conductor material is used as an adapter between the microstrip line and the output port.

Further, in order to reduce the length of the electromagnetic wave from the microstrip line to the radiating unit, the present embodiment is configured to insert the cores of the feeders of the radiating units corresponding to the second to N-1th output ports on the strip line 11 into their respective microstrip lines. Among the strip lines 12, they are electrically connected to the corresponding microstrip lines 12, respectively. In this way, since the inner core of the feeder wire of the radiating unit is directly inserted into the microstrip line 12, an adapter is not needed, and thus the loss caused by the transmission of the electromagnetic signal on the adapter can be avoided.

In this embodiment, the medium of the microstrip line corresponding to each output port is configured so that the electromagnetic wave length of each output port to the corresponding radiating unit is the same as that of the first and Nth output ports of the strip line 11 reaching the corresponding radiating unit. The electromagnetic waves have the same length. For example, if the first and Nth output ports of the strip line 11 reach the corresponding radiating unit, the electromagnetic wave lengths are L, and the other output ports of the strip line 11 are configured to reach the corresponding radiating unit.

In this embodiment, the first and Nth output ports of the strip line are directly electrically connected to the inner cores of the respective corresponding radiating units, and the second to N-1th output ports on the strip line are electrically connected. It is electrically connected to one end of each corresponding microstrip line, and the other end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the feeding core of the corresponding radiating unit of the respective output port, which eliminates the need for cable design and greatly simplifies the feeding network Structure. At the same time, since the 1st and Nth output ports of the stripline are directly electrically connected to the feeding cores of their corresponding radiating elements, the 1st and Nth output ports of the stripline can be approximated to a straight line. Reach the corresponding radiating unit so that the length of the electromagnetic wave reaching the corresponding radiating unit is the shortest, so that the length of the electromagnetic wave reaching the corresponding radiating unit from other output ports is adjusted to the length of the first and Nth output ports reaching the radiating unit. Minimize the propagation path of electromagnetic signals in the feed network, minimize the transmission loss, and improve the antenna gain index.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna system provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the antenna system includes: a radiating unit 14, a reflector 13, and the feeder network 51 referred to in the foregoing embodiment, wherein: The radiation unit 14 is arranged on the front of the reflector 13, and the feed network 51 is arranged on the back of the reflector 13. The radiation unit 14 can be exemplarily understood as a general term for one or more radiation units.

The structure and beneficial effects of the feeder network in this embodiment are similar to those in the foregoing embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

The embodiment of the present invention also provides a base station, and the base station includes the feeder network referred to in the foregoing embodiment. The structure of the feeder network in the base station is similar to the foregoing embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply these There is any such actual relationship or sequence between entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "including", "including" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also those that are not explicitly listed Other elements of, or also include elements inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. If there are no more restrictions, the element defined by the sentence "including a..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or equipment that includes the element.

The above are only specific implementations of the present utility model, so that those skilled in the art can understand or implement the present utility model. Various modifications to these embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments described herein, but must conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Industrial applicability

In the feeding network provided by the utility model, the metal cavity in the feeding network is arranged on the back of the reflector, so that the radiation unit is fixedly connected to the metal cavity through the through hole on the reflector. The microstrip line is arranged on the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector, so that one end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the output port of the strip line in the metal cavity, and the other end of the microstrip line corresponds to the output port. The radiating unit is electrically connected, which realizes the switching between the feeding network and the radiating unit, greatly simplifies the structure of the feeding network, improves the performance and coverage effect of the antenna system, and has strong industrial applicability.

Claims

A feeder network is characterized in that it includes:

Metal cavity, strip line and microstrip line;

Wherein, the metal cavity is arranged on the back of the reflector, and the radiation unit is fixedly connected to the metal cavity through the through hole on the reflector;

The strip line is arranged in the metal cavity;

The microstrip line is arranged on the surface of the metal cavity facing the reflector, there is a gap between the microstrip line and the reflector, and one end of the microstrip line is connected to the strip The output port of the line is electrically connected, and the other end of the microstrip line is electrically connected to the radiation unit corresponding to the output port.
The feeding network according to claim 1, wherein the strip line includes N output ports, and N-2 microstrip lines are provided on the surface of the metal cavity on the side facing the reflector. ；

Wherein, the first and Nth output ports of the strip line are directly electrically connected to the inner cores of the feeders of the respective corresponding radiating units;

The 2nd to N-1th output ports on the strip line are respectively electrically connected to one end of the respective corresponding microstrip line, and the other end of the microstrip line is connected to the feed line of the radiating unit corresponding to the respective connected output port Inner core electrical connection;

Among them, N is a positive integer.
The feeding network according to claim 2, wherein the second to N-1 output ports on the strip line correspond to the N-2 microstrip lines in a one-to-one correspondence.
The feeding network according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the second to N-1 output ports on the strip line are connected to one end of the respective microstrip line through a metal adapter. Electric connection.
The feeding network according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the inner cores of the feeding lines of the radiating units corresponding to the second to N-1th output ports on the strip line are inserted into the respective corresponding microstrips The wires are electrically connected to the corresponding microstrip wires.
The feeding network according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the inner core of the feeding line of the radiating unit corresponding to the first and Nth output ports of the strip line is inserted into the metal cavity and the The first and Nth output ports of the stripline are electrically connected.
The feed network according to claim 1, wherein the microstrip line is one of the following: air microstrip line, printed circuit board PCB microstrip line.
The feeding network according to claim 1, wherein the strip line is provided with a sliding medium that can slide relatively on the strip line.
An antenna system, comprising: a radiating unit, a reflector, and the feeding network according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the radiating unit is arranged on the front of the reflector, and the feeder The electrical network is arranged on the back of the reflector.
A base station, characterized by comprising the feeder network according to any one of claims 1-8.