WO2024109108A1

WO2024109108A1 - Active antenna, base station and wireless communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2024109108A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/106834
Authority: WO
Inventors: 孙伟华; 傅杰; 吴刚
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2022-11-23
Filing date: 2023-07-11
Publication date: 2024-05-30
Also published as: CN118073816A

Abstract

Provided in the present application are an active antenna, a base station and a wireless communication system. The active antenna comprises a housing, an antenna cover and an integrated apparatus, the antenna cover covering the housing so as to form an accommodating cavity, and the integrated apparatus being arranged in the accommodating cavity. The integrated apparatus comprises a circuit board, an active module and a passive module, both the active module and the passive module being mounted on the circuit board and being in signal connection to the circuit board.

Description

Active antenna, base station and wireless communication system

Related Applications

This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202211470608.1 filed on November 23, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of antenna communication equipment, and in particular to an active antenna, a base station and a wireless communication system.

Background technique

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, the integration of wireless communication equipment has been further improved. In this scenario, the power consumption of a single device is getting higher and higher, and the electricity bill of 5G base stations has become a new pain point for operators. In response to the demand for power consumption reduction of 5G base stations for wireless communication equipment, the current common method is to use active antenna technology with larger antenna surfaces. Generally, on the basis of existing 5G equipment, the number of antenna elements of the passive unit in the existing equipment is doubled or increased by a certain number to improve the gain of the active antenna. As the gain of the active antenna increases, the loss of the whole machine is reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the whole machine. However, with the increase in components, the number of internal connectors of the active antenna has also increased, the connection relationship is complicated, and the weight and volume have also increased, which has increased the difficulty of handling and installation.

In addition, in order to adapt to the active antenna of the large sky, refer to Figure 1, which is an active antenna in the prior art, including a shell 11, a RF large board component 21, a power supply component 31, a shielding cover component 41, a middle frame structure 51, an antenna component 61 and an antenna cover 71. In the prior art, the installation of the active antenna is achieved by adopting a larger middle frame structure 51. However, the defects of adopting this scheme are: First, the overall assembly is relatively complicated. Adding a middle frame structure 51 will increase the assembly of about 20 screws between the shell 11, and the assembly efficiency of the whole machine is reduced. Secondly, adding a middle frame structure 51 will increase the entire active antenna with a large waterproof surface, one is the waterproof surface between the shell 11 and the middle frame structure 51, and the other is the waterproof surface between the middle frame structure 51 and the antenna cover 71. In this way, the risk of water ingress of the active antenna increases. At the same time, because there are two waterproof surfaces, if there is a leak during the airtight test, it will also increase the difficulty of locating the leak point.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a new active antenna, base station and wireless communication system to solve the problem of Or at least alleviate the above technical deficiencies.

Summary of the invention

The main purpose of the present application is to provide an active antenna, a base station and a wireless communication system, aiming to solve the technical problems in the prior art of complex active antenna structure, low assembly efficiency, difficult installation and transportation, and great difficulty in waterproofing.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to one aspect of the present application, the present application provides an active antenna, including a shell, an antenna cover and an integrated device, the antenna cover and the shell cover together form a accommodating cavity, the integrated device is arranged in the accommodating cavity, the integrated device includes a circuit board, an active module and a passive module, the active module and the passive module are both installed on the circuit board and connected to the circuit board signal.

In one embodiment, the circuit board includes a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, the active module is at least partially connected to the bottom surface of the circuit board, and the passive module includes a first passive component and a second passive component, the first passive component is connected to the top surface of the circuit board, and the second passive component is connected to the bottom surface of the circuit board.

In one embodiment, the active module includes a first active component and a second active component, an antenna area and a device area are arranged on the top surface, the first active component is connected to the bottom surface of the circuit board, the second active component is connected to the device area, and the first passive component is connected to the antenna area.

In one embodiment, a dielectric filter area, a power amplifier subcard area, a transceiver and intermediate frequency area, a baseband area and a power supply area are provided on the bottom surface, the first active component includes a power amplifier subassembly, a transceiver subassembly, an intermediate frequency circuit, a baseband circuit and a power supply subassembly, and the second passive component includes a dielectric filter, the dielectric filter is connected to the dielectric filter area, the power amplifier subassembly is connected to the power amplifier subcard area, the transceiver subassembly and the intermediate frequency circuit are connected to the transceiver and intermediate frequency area, the baseband circuit is connected to the baseband area, and the power supply subassembly is connected to the power supply area.

In one embodiment, the circuit board includes at least two sub-circuit boards, and the at least two sub-circuit boards are signal-connected via a connector or a flexible cable.

In one embodiment, the housing comprises a mounting plate and a heat dissipation tooth disposed on a side of the mounting plate away from the antenna cover, wherein the mounting plate cooperates with the antenna cover to form the accommodating cavity. The size of the plate is larger than that of the circuit board.

In one embodiment, a first mounting hole is provided on the radome, a second mounting hole is provided on the mounting plate, and the mounting plate and the radome are connected via threaded fasteners.

In one embodiment, the active antenna further includes a bottom-out connector connected to the bottom surface.

According to another aspect of the present application, the present application also provides a base station, which includes the active antenna mentioned above.

According to another aspect of the present application, the present application also provides a wireless communication system, which includes the base station described above.

In the above scheme, the active antenna includes a housing, an antenna cover and an integrated device, the antenna cover and the housing are covered to form a receiving cavity, the integrated device is arranged in the receiving cavity, and the integrated device includes a circuit board, an active module and a passive module, the active module and the passive module are both installed on the circuit board and connected to the circuit board signal. This scheme integrates the active module and the passive module inside the active antenna onto the circuit board and connects them to the circuit board signal, and realizes signal transmission between the components inside the passive module, between the components inside the active module, and between the active module and the passive module through the circuit board, which greatly simplifies the structure of the active antenna, saves a large number of connectors, improves assembly efficiency, and reduces manufacturing costs. In addition, this solution extends and enlarges the outer shell so that the four sides of the outer shell are directly connected to the antenna cover, and the integrated device is arranged in the accommodating cavity formed by the outer shell and the antenna cover. In this way, only the matching surfaces of the antenna cover and the outer shell need to be waterproofed, and the entire active antenna has only one waterproof surface. Compared with the setting of the middle frame structure in the prior art, it not only reduces the assembly of the middle frame structure and the screws, improves the assembly efficiency, reduces the weight and thickness of the whole machine, and facilitates the installation and transportation of the active antenna; it also only needs to waterproof the matching surfaces of the outer shell and the antenna cover, reduces one waterproof surface, reduces the risk of water ingress into the active antenna, and reduces the difficulty of locating the leakage point in the event of leakage during the airtight test.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, without paying creative work, they can also obtain the structures shown in these drawings. Other attached pictures.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of an active antenna in the prior art;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of an active antenna according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an active antenna according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a circuit board according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG5 is another schematic diagram of the structure of a circuit board according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a layout of the top surface of a circuit board according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG7 is another schematic diagram of the layout of the top surface of the circuit board according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the layout of the bottom surface of the circuit board according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a bottom-out connector and a circuit board according to an embodiment of the present application.

Description of the accompanying drawings of prior art FIG. 1:

11. Shell, 21. RF main board assembly, 31. Power supply assembly, 41. Shielding cover assembly, 51. Middle frame structure, 61. Antenna assembly, 71. Antenna cover.

Description of the reference numerals in Figures 2 to 9:

10. Casing; 20. Circuit board; 201. First single board; 202. Second single board; 203. Third single board; 30. Antenna cover; 40. Top surface; 401. Antenna area; 402. Device area; 50. Bottom surface; 501. Dielectric filter area, 502. Power amplifier daughter card area; 503. Transceiver and intermediate frequency area; 504. Baseband area; 505. Power supply area; 60. Bottom connector.

The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the implementation methods and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Detailed ways

The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, etc.) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement and direction of each component in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

In addition, in this application, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

Furthermore, the technical solutions between the various implementation modes of the present application may be combined with each other, but this must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in the field. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

2 to 9 , according to one aspect of the present application, the present application provides an active antenna, including a housing 10, an antenna cover 30 and an integrated device, the antenna cover 30 and the housing 10 are covered to form a receiving cavity, the integrated device is arranged in the receiving cavity, the integrated device includes a circuit board 20, an active module and a passive module, the active module and the passive module are both installed on the circuit board 20 and are connected to the circuit board 20 for signals.

In the above embodiment, the active antenna includes a housing 10, an antenna cover 30 and an integrated device, the antenna cover 30 and the housing 10 are covered to form a receiving cavity, the integrated device is arranged in the receiving cavity, and the integrated device includes a circuit board 20, an active module and a passive module, and the active module and the passive module are both mounted on the circuit board 20 and are signal-connected to the circuit board 20. In this embodiment, the active module and the passive module inside the active antenna are integrated onto the circuit board 20 and are signal-connected to the circuit board 20, and the signal transmission between the components inside the passive module, between the components inside the active module, and between the active module and the passive module is realized through the circuit on the circuit board 20, which greatly simplifies the structure of the active antenna, saves a large number of connectors, improves assembly efficiency, and reduces manufacturing costs. In addition, the scheme extends and enlarges the shell 10, and the entire shell 10 is integrally formed, so that the four sides of the shell 10 are directly connected to the antenna cover 30, and the integrated device is arranged in the accommodating cavity formed by the shell 10 and the antenna cover 30. In this way, only the matching surfaces of the antenna cover 30 and the shell 10 need to be waterproofed, and the entire active antenna has only one waterproof surface. Compared with the setting of the middle frame structure 51 in the prior art, it not only reduces the assembly of the middle frame structure 51 and the screws, improves the assembly efficiency, and reduces the weight and thickness of the whole machine. The weight of the whole machine can be reduced by about 30% compared with the prior art, and the thickness of the whole machine can be further reduced, which is convenient for the installation and transportation of the active antenna; it only needs to be waterproofed The design of the matching surface of the shell 10 and the antenna cover 30 is reduced compared with the two waterproof surfaces in the prior art, and one waterproof surface is reduced, which reduces the risk of water ingress into the active antenna. At the same time, because there is only one waterproof surface, it is also reduced. The difficulty of locating the leakage point in the case of leakage during the airtight test is reduced.

Referring to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, in one embodiment, the circuit board 20 includes a top surface 40 and a bottom surface 50 facing away from the top surface 40, the active module is at least partially connected to the bottom surface 50 of the circuit board 20, and the passive module includes a first passive component and a second passive component, the first passive component is connected to the top surface 40 of the circuit board 20, and the second passive component is connected to the bottom surface 50 of the circuit board 20. The active module includes a first active component and a second active component, an antenna area 401 and a device area 402 are arranged on the top surface 40, the first active component is connected to the bottom surface 50 of the circuit board 20, the second active component is connected to the device area 402, and the first passive component is connected to the antenna area 401. The antenna area 401 is used to connect with the passive component, and the device area 402 is used to connect with the active component. As for the positions of the antenna area 401 and the device area 402, they can be set according to actual needs. As shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the device area 402 can be set at the middle position of the top surface 40 or at the side position of the top surface 40. In this embodiment, the layout of the top surface 40 and the bottom surface 50 of the circuit board 20 can be flexibly set. In addition to placing passive components, the top surface 40 can also be used to place some devices with lower shielding requirements to achieve the highest overall space utilization effect.

8 , in one embodiment, a dielectric filter region 501, a power amplifier subcard region 502, a transceiver and intermediate frequency region 503, a baseband region 504 and a power supply region 505 are provided on the bottom surface 50. The first active component includes a power amplifier subassembly, a transceiver subassembly, an intermediate frequency circuit, a baseband circuit and a power supply subassembly. The second passive component includes a dielectric filter. The dielectric filter is connected to the dielectric filter region 501. The power amplifier subassembly is connected to the power amplifier subcard region 502. The transceiver subassembly and the intermediate frequency circuit are connected to the transceiver and intermediate frequency region 503. The baseband circuit is connected to the baseband region 504. The power supply subassembly is connected to the power supply region 505. The corresponding regions are used to connect corresponding components, respectively.

4 and 5, in one embodiment, the circuit board 20 includes at least two sub-circuit boards 20, and the at least two sub-circuit boards 20 are connected by a connector or a flexible cable signal. In this embodiment, the circuit board 20 can be divided into two pieces, including a first single board 201 and a second single board 202, or divided into three pieces, including a first single board 201, a second single board 202 and a third single board 203. This division is to reduce the processing difficulty of the large-size circuit board 20. It should be noted that this embodiment does not constitute a limitation on the number of divisions of the circuit board 20, and those skilled in the art can set it according to actual needs.

Referring to FIG. 3 , in one embodiment, the housing 10 includes a mounting plate and heat dissipation teeth disposed on the side of the mounting plate away from the antenna cover 30. The mounting plate cooperates with the antenna cover 30 to form a receiving cavity. The size of the mounting plate is larger than the size of the circuit board 20. Compared with the prior art, the housing 10 in this embodiment extends outward to form a larger housing 10 (or mounting plate). The mounting plate cooperates with the antenna cover 30 to form a receiving cavity for placing the circuit board 20. The housing 10 also plays the role of the middle frame structure 51 in the prior art. The hot teeth play a role in heat dissipation.

3, in one embodiment, a first mounting hole is provided on the radome 30, a second mounting hole is provided on the mounting plate, and the mounting plate and the radome 30 are connected by a threaded fastener. The connection by the threaded fastener facilitates installation and disassembly. Specifically, there are a plurality of threaded fasteners, and the threaded fasteners are spaced around the radome 30 and the mounting plate.

9 , in one embodiment, the active antenna further includes a bottom connector 60, which is connected to the bottom surface 50. The bottom connector 60 is disposed on the bottom surface 50 of the circuit board 20, and can be flexibly adapted to various required application scenarios by increasing the height of the bottom connector 60.

According to another aspect of the present application, the present application further provides a base station, which includes the above-mentioned active antenna. Since the base station includes all technical solutions of all the above-mentioned active antenna embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by all the above-mentioned technical solutions, which will not be repeated here one by one.

According to another aspect of the present application, the present application also provides a wireless communication system, which includes the above-mentioned base station. Since the wireless communication system includes all technical solutions of all the above-mentioned base station embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by all the above-mentioned technical solutions, which will not be repeated here one by one.

The above are only optional embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the scope of the patent of the present application. After the active components and passive components are integrated, the layout of each unit may have multiple combinations, and these combinations should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application. All equivalent structural transformations made by using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly/indirectly applied in other related technical fields under the technical concept of the present application are included in the scope of the patent protection of the present application.

Claims

An active antenna comprises a shell, an antenna cover and an integrated device, wherein the antenna cover and the shell are covered to form a receiving cavity, the integrated device is arranged in the receiving cavity, the integrated device comprises a circuit board, an active module and a passive module, the active module and the passive module are both installed on the circuit board and connected to the circuit board signal.
The active antenna according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board includes a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, the active module is at least partially connected to the bottom surface of the circuit board, and the passive module includes a first passive component and a second passive component, the first passive component is connected to the top surface of the circuit board, and the second passive component is connected to the bottom surface of the circuit board.
The active antenna according to claim 2, wherein the active module includes a first active component and a second active component, an antenna area and a device area are provided on the top surface, the first active component is connected to the bottom surface of the circuit board, the second active component is connected to the device area, and the first passive component is connected to the antenna area.
The active antenna according to claim 3, wherein a dielectric filter area, a power amplifier subcard area, a transceiver and intermediate frequency area, a baseband area and a power supply area are provided on the bottom surface, the first active component includes a power amplifier subassembly, a transceiver subassembly, an intermediate frequency circuit, a baseband circuit and a power supply subassembly, and the second passive component includes a dielectric filter, the dielectric filter is connected to the dielectric filter area, the power amplifier subassembly is connected to the power amplifier subcard area, the transceiver subassembly and the intermediate frequency circuit are connected to the transceiver and intermediate frequency area, the baseband circuit is connected to the baseband area, and the power supply subassembly is connected to the power supply area.
The active antenna according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises at least two sub-circuit boards, and at least two of the sub-circuit boards are signal-connected via a connector or a flexible cable.
The active antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing comprises a mounting plate and a heat dissipation tooth arranged on a side of the mounting plate away from the antenna cover, the mounting plate and the The antenna cover cooperates to form the accommodating cavity, and the size of the mounting plate is larger than that of the circuit board.
The active antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a first mounting hole is provided on the radome, a second mounting hole is provided on the mounting plate, and the mounting plate and the radome are connected by threaded fasteners.
The active antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the active antenna further comprises a bottom-out connector, and the bottom-out connector is connected to the bottom surface.
A base station, wherein the base station comprises the active antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
A wireless communication system, wherein the wireless communication system comprises the base station according to claim 9.