WO2022242282A1

WO2022242282A1 - Afu antenna structure

Info

Publication number: WO2022242282A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/080979
Authority: WO
Inventors: 丁海; 陈安; 孟弼慧; 黄明达
Original assignee: 京信射频技术(广州)有限公司; 京信通信技术(广州)有限公司
Priority date: 2021-05-21
Filing date: 2022-03-15
Publication date: 2022-11-24
Also published as: CN113258271A

Abstract

The present application relates to an AFU antenna structure, which comprises an antenna apparatus and a filter; the filter comprises a metal-free insulated outer casing and a resonator arranged within an inner cavity of the outer casing; an inner surface and an outer surface of the metal-free insulated outer casing are both covered with a conductive coating; the antenna apparatus comprises antenna elements and a power divider, the power divider is electrically connected to the resonator, and the power divider is formed at a bottom part of the outer casing; the antenna elements are located outside of the outer casing, and soldering sites are provided on the power divider.

Description

AFU Antenna Structure

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of antennas, in particular to an AFU antenna structure.

Background technique

AFU (Antenna Filter Units) is an antenna structure that integrates antennas and filters, which consists of two parts: AU (antenna) and FU (filter). It is a mainstream product in the 5G communication era.

In the traditional AFU, the filter is specifically a metal cavity filter, and the antenna is a metal array welded on the PCB board. The filter is connected to the PCB board of the antenna through fastening screws, and the PCB has via holes, and the filter and the antenna pass through The pins are connected to the PCB vias to form the AFU.

However, the existing AFU needs to be improved in terms of light weight and reliability.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above technical problem or at least partly solve the above technical problem, the present application provides an AFU antenna structure.

The application provides an AFU antenna structure, including an antenna device and a filter; the filter includes a non-metallic insulating shell and a resonator arranged in the inner cavity of the shell; the inner surface and the outer surface of the non-metallic insulating shell The surface is covered with conductive plating;

The antenna device includes an antenna element and a power divider, the power divider is electrically connected to the resonator, and the power divider is formed on the outer surface of the shell by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the shell. The bottom of the bottom; the antenna element is located outside the shell, the power divider has a welding position, and the antenna element is welded on the welding position.

Optionally, the base plate is provided with a via hole penetrating the base plate, the tap of the resonator can pass through the via hole, and the tap is insulated from the inner surface of the base plate, so The tap is electrically connected to the power divider through the conductive material plated in the via hole.

Optionally, a region of the inner surface of the bottom plate close to the via hole is formed as an isolation region;

The isolation area includes a first area surrounding the peripheral direction of the via hole and a second area surrounding the peripheral direction of the first area, the first area has the conductive plating layer, the The second region is formed as an insulating region to isolate the first region from a region around the second region.

Optionally, the antenna device further includes a reflector, and the base plate is formed as a reflector of the antenna device.

Optionally, the power divider is formed by photolithography or laser engraving on part of the outer surface of the bottom plate.

Optionally, the non-metal insulating shell is a plastic shell.

Optionally, the conductive coating is a metal coating.

Optionally, the conductive coating is silver coating.

Optionally, the conductive coating is copper coating.

Optionally, the shell includes a hollow bottom shell with an opening at the top and a cover plate covering the opening; the hollow bottom shell and the cover plate jointly enclose the inner cavity of the shell;

The shell wall of the hollow bottom shell opposite to the cover plate is formed as the bottom plate; the cover plate is provided with an adjusting screw corresponding to the resonator.

Optionally, an isolation structure is provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate, and the power divider is located in a space enclosed by the isolation structure.

Optionally, the isolation structure includes isolation bars;

There are two spacers, both of which extend from one end of the bottom plate to the other end of the bottom plate, and are respectively arranged on both sides of the power divider.

Compared with the prior art, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application have the following advantages:

The AFU antenna structure provided by the present application, by setting the housing of the filter as a non-metallic insulating housing, and covering the inner and outer surfaces of the non-metallic insulating housing with conductive plating, compared with the metal filter of the prior art, guarantees At the same time as the performance of the filter, the weight of the filter is greatly reduced, so that the AFU can be improved in terms of light weight; at the same time, a splitter is formed by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the housing, and a splitter is formed on the splitter for Solder the welding position of the antenna element, that is, integrate the power divider at the bottom of the filter shell, so that the antenna and the filter can be combined better, thereby improving the reliability of the AFU and reducing the size of the AFU; in addition, the The antenna element is directly welded on the welding position of the power divider. Compared with the existing technology, the antenna PCB board is omitted, the types of AFU materials are reduced, the weight and volume of the AFU are further reduced, and the traditional screw fixing is replaced by welding. The antenna further improves the intermodulation and stability of the AFU, and reduces the difficulty and process of assembling the AFU.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application.

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the 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 also be obtained from these drawings without paying creative labor.

Fig. 1 is the structural explosion schematic diagram (front) of the AFU antenna structure described in the embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is the structural enlarged view of I place in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is the structural explosion schematic diagram (bottom surface) of the AFU antenna structure described in the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the structure at I in FIG. 3 .

Among them, 1. Shell; 11. Hollow bottom shell; 111. Bottom plate; 112. Via hole; 113. First area; 114. Second area; 12. Cover plate; 121. Adjusting screw; Tap; 14. Isolation strip; 2. Antenna device; 21. Antenna element; 22. Power splitter; 221. Welding position.

Detailed ways

AFU (Antenna Filter Units) is an antenna structure in which an antenna and a filter are integrated. It consists of two parts: AU (antenna) and FU (filter). It is a mainstream product in the 5G communication era.

Among them, the filter allows the useful signal to pass through the signal link to the greatest extent, and suppresses the useless signal to the greatest extent; the antenna is responsible for radiating the radio frequency signal to a specific direction in space and receiving electromagnetic waves from a specific direction in space.

In order to improve the light weight and reliability of the AFU, this application provides an AFU antenna structure. The AFU antenna structure will be described in detail through specific embodiments below:

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , this embodiment provides an AFU antenna structure, including an antenna device 2 and a filter.

The filter specifically includes: a housing 1 and a resonator 13 arranged in the inner cavity of the housing 1 . Specifically, there may be multiple resonators 13, and the housing 1 has an adjusting screw 121 corresponding to the resonator 13, and the adjusting screw 121 is penetrated on the shell wall of the housing 1, and by adjusting the adjusting screw 121 on the housing 1, to adjust The resonant frequency of the AFU filter.

Wherein, the shell 1 is a non-metal insulating shell, and the inner surface and the outer surface of the non-metal insulating shell are covered with conductive plating. By arranging the casing 1 in this way, not only the performance of the filter is guaranteed, but also the weight of the filter is greatly reduced compared with the metal filter in the prior art.

In actual implementation, the housing 1 can be made of plastic material, for example, the housing 1 is formed by injection molding of plastic, and the inner and outer surfaces of the plastic housing 1 are covered with conductive plating. Of course, the housing 1 can also be made of other non-metallic materials, as long as it is an insulating material that is lighter in weight than metal, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

Wherein, the conductive coating may specifically be a metal coating. The conductive plating is preferably silver plating. Certainly, in some embodiments, the conductive plating layer may also be other metal plating layers such as copper plating layer.

Wherein, the antenna device 2 includes an antenna element 21 and a power divider 22 . The power divider 22 is electrically connected to the resonator 13 . The power divider 22 is formed on the bottom of the casing 1 by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 of the casing 1 . The antenna element 21 is located outside the casing 1 , and the power divider 22 has a welding position 221 , and the antenna element 21 is welded on the welding position 221 .

In this embodiment, the welding position 221 on the power divider 22 is specifically an antenna element welding pad. Certainly, in other implementation manners, the welding position 221 may also be a welding point, as long as the antenna element 21 can be effectively welded on the power splitter 22.

Wherein, the power divider 22 may specifically be a microstrip line power divider. Certainly, the power splitter 22 may also be other types of power splitters, and this embodiment is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the antenna device 2 may specifically include three antenna elements 21 , correspondingly, the power divider 22 has three welding positions 221 , and one antenna element 21 corresponds to one welding position 221 . Of course, for an AFU antenna structure, the number of antenna elements 21 on it may also be less than three, or more than three, that is, the number of antenna arrays is not limited, and can be set according to actual needs.

Taking FIG. 1 as an example for illustration, the bottom plate 111 of the casing 1 refers to a plate located at the bottom of the casing 1 . As the AFU antenna structure is in use, its specific assembly angle is not limited to the viewing angles of FIGS. 1 to 4 . Therefore, it can be understood that the board where the power divider 22 is located is the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 .

During specific implementation, the splitter 22 may be formed by photolithography on a part of the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 . Specifically, by etching away the conductive plating layer in some areas of the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 , a part of the unetched area is formed as the power divider 22 . In other implementation manners, the splitter 22 may also be formed on the outer bottom surface of the bottom plate 111 of the casing 1 by means of laser engraving.

The AFU antenna structure provided in this embodiment, by setting the housing 1 of the filter as a non-metallic insulating housing 1, and covering the inner surface and outer surface of the non-metallic insulating housing 1 with conductive plating, is similar to the metal filter in the prior art. Compared, while ensuring the performance of the filter, the weight of the filter is greatly reduced, so that the AFU can be improved in terms of light weight; at the same time, the splitter 22 is formed by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate 111 of the shell 1, and in The welding position 221 for welding the antenna element 21 is formed on the power divider 22, that is, the power divider 22 is integrated at the bottom of the filter shell 1, so that the antenna and the filter are better combined, thereby improving the reliability of the AFU , which reduces the volume of the AFU; in addition, the antenna element 21 is directly welded on the welding position 221 of the power divider 22, compared with the prior art, the antenna PCB board is omitted, and the types of AFU materials and the assembly process are reduced. The weight and volume of the AFU are further reduced, saving costs; the traditional screw-fixed antenna is replaced by welding, which further improves the intermodulation and stability of the AFU, and reduces the difficulty and process of AFU assembly.

In actual implementation, the shell 1 may specifically include: a hollow bottom shell 11 and a cover plate 12 . The top of the hollow bottom case 11 has an opening, and the cover plate 12 covers the opening. The hollow bottom shell 11 and the cover plate 12 jointly enclose the inner cavity of the shell 1 . In actual implementation, the cover plate 12 is sealed and arranged on the opening of the hollow bottom case 11 to improve the shielding capability of the case 1 . Wherein, the shell wall of the hollow bottom shell 11 opposite to the cover plate 12 is formed as a bottom plate 111 . An adjustment screw 121 corresponding to the resonator 13 is disposed on the cover plate 12 .

It can be understood that the hollow bottom case 11 is made of a non-metallic insulating material, and the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow bottom case 11 are covered with a conductive coating; the cover plate 12 is also made of a non-metallic insulating material, and the inner surface of the cover plate 12 and The outer surfaces are covered with conductive plating. The hollow bottom case 11 and the cover plate 12 can be connected by fastening screws or the like, and the specific connection method of the hollow bottom case 11 and the cover plate 12 is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, the base plate 111 is provided with a via hole 112 penetrating the base plate 111 , the tap 131 of the resonator 13 can pass through the via hole 112 , and the tap 131 is connected to the inner surface of the base plate 111 The taps 131 are electrically connected to the power divider 22 through the conductive material plated in the via holes 112 .

In actual implementation, the tap 131 may be, for example, a conductive silver wire, and the conductive material may be, for example, a conductive silver paste, or other conductive materials. When assembling, one end of the tap 131 is passed through the via hole 112, and then a conductive silver paste is plated in the via hole 112, and the connection between the tap 131 and the power divider 22 is realized through the conductive silver paste, that is, the resonator 13 and the power divider 22 are realized. Power splitter 22 connections.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 , the area on the inner surface of the base plate 111 close to the via hole 112 is formed as an isolation area. The isolation area includes a first area 113 surrounding the via hole 112 and a second area 114 surrounding the first area 113 . Wherein, the first region 113 has a conductive plating layer, and the second region 114 is formed as an insulating region to isolate the first region 113 from the peripheral region of the second region 114 .

It can be understood that, on the first region 113, the peripheral region of the second region 114 (that is, the peripheral part of the second region 114 away from the first region 113) has a conductive plating layer, and the conductive plating layer on the second region 114 is removed, that is, There is no conductive coating on the second area 114 , for example, it is directly a plastic layer. Such setting can effectively prevent the tap 131 from connecting with the conductive coating on the inner surface of the bottom plate 111 and cause a short circuit.

In other implementations, the tap 131 may not be provided, but a conductive material is directly plated in the via hole 112, and the power divider 22 and the resonator 13 respectively arranged on both sides of the bottom plate 111 are in contact with the conductive material, thereby realizing the resonator. 13 and the electrical connection between the power divider 22.

Wherein, the antenna device 2 further includes a reflector. In this embodiment, the bottom plate 111 of the housing 1 is directly formed as the reflector of the antenna device 2 . That is to say, there is no need to provide additional reflectors, which not only improves the integration of the AFU, reduces the types of AFU materials, reduces the assembly process, and saves costs.

Further, an isolation structure is provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate 111, and the power divider 22 is located in the space enclosed by the isolation structure.

By setting the isolation structure, not only can the effective protection of the power divider 22 be realized, but also the anti-jamming capability of the entire AFU can be improved.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the isolation structure may specifically include isolation bars 14 . Exemplarily, there are two spacer bars 14 , both of which extend from one end of the bottom plate 111 to the other end of the bottom plate 111 , and the two spacer bars 14 are respectively arranged on both sides of the power divider 22 . For example, two spacers 14 are arranged in parallel, and the power divider 22 is located in a space defined between the two spacers 14 .

In actual implementation, the spacer bar 14 can be integrally formed with the shell 1 , or can be made separately, and then assembled on the bottom of the shell 1 .

In other implementation manners, the isolation structure may also be in other shapes such as an isolation ring disposed on the outer bottom surface of the bottom plate 111 .

In addition, the specific height of the spacer bar 14 can be set according to actual needs, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

Compared with the prior art, the AFU antenna structure provided by this embodiment has the following advantages:

1. The combination of non-metallic insulating material and conductive coating is used to replace traditional metal, so that the weight of the filter is greatly reduced, that is, the weight of the AFU is reduced;

2. By photolithography or laser engraving, the power divider is integrated at the bottom of the filter cavity, which further improves the consistency and reliability of the AFU;

3. The antenna vibrator is directly welded on the welding position at the bottom of the filter, which saves the antenna PCB board and reduces the types of AFU materials;

4. The bottom plate of the filter is used as the reflector of the antenna, and the antenna isolation strip is integrated at the bottom of the filter, which further improves the integration of the AFU;

5. Compared with the traditional AFU, this embodiment saves the antenna PCB board, and uses welding instead of screws to fix the antenna, which further improves the intermodulation and stability of the AFU;

6. Electroplating the via holes can save the pins, and directly connect the antenna and filter taps through the via holes, which reduces the AFU material types and reduces the AFU assembly difficulty and assembly process.

Claims

An AFU antenna structure, including an antenna device and a filter; the filter includes a non-metallic insulating shell and a resonator arranged in the inner cavity of the shell; the inner surface and the outer surface of the non-metallic insulating shell are covered With conductive plating;

The antenna device includes an antenna element and a power divider, the power divider is electrically connected to the resonator, and the power divider is formed on the outer surface of the shell by processing part of the outer surface of the bottom plate of the shell. The bottom of the bottom; the antenna element is located outside the shell, the power divider has a welding position, and the antenna element is welded on the welding position.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the base plate is provided with a via hole through the base plate, the tap of the resonator can pass through the via hole, and the tap is connected to the via hole. The inner surface of the bottom plate is insulated, and the tap is electrically connected to the power divider through the conductive material plated in the via hole.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 2, wherein an area close to the via hole on the inner surface of the bottom plate is formed as an isolation area;

The isolation area includes a first area surrounding the peripheral direction of the via hole and a second area surrounding the peripheral direction of the first area, the first area has the conductive plating layer, the The second region is formed as an insulating region to isolate the first region from a region around the second region.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the antenna device further comprises a reflector, and the bottom plate is formed as the reflector of the antenna device.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the power divider is formed by photolithography or laser engraving on a part of the outer surface of the bottom plate.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the non-metal insulating casing is a plastic casing.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 1, wherein the conductive plating layer is a silver plating layer.
The AFU antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the housing includes a hollow bottom case with an opening at the top and a cover plate covering the opening, the hollow bottom case and the The cover plate jointly encloses the inner cavity of the housing;

The shell wall of the hollow bottom shell opposite to the cover plate is formed as the bottom plate; the cover plate is provided with an adjusting screw corresponding to the resonator.
The AFU antenna structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an isolation structure is provided on the outer surface of the bottom plate, and the power divider is located in a space enclosed by the isolation structure.
The AFU antenna structure according to claim 9, wherein the isolation structure comprises an isolation strip;

There are two spacers, both of which extend from one end of the bottom plate to the other end of the bottom plate, and are respectively arranged on both sides of the power divider.