CN114678721A

CN114678721A - Antenna connector and antenna

Info

Publication number: CN114678721A
Application number: CN202011548974.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈海燕; 万方文
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2020-12-24
Filing date: 2020-12-24
Publication date: 2022-06-28
Also published as: WO2022139985A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an antenna connector and an antenna device. An antenna connector, comprising: an input terminal configured to receive an input signal; a power splitter configured to split the input signal into multiple output signals; a housing configured to house the power splitter; and a plurality of output terminals configured to provide the multiplexed output signals to corresponding arrays of radiating elements.

Description

Antenna connector and antenna

Technical Field

The invention relates to an antenna connector and an antenna.

Background

A power divider (power divider) is a device that divides an input signal into two or more sub-components, which have equal or unequal energy and are output at corresponding output ports. In antennas, a power divider is typically used to divide a Radio Frequency (RF) feed signal into a plurality of sub-components, each of which is then transmitted to a corresponding array of radiating elements.

Small cell antennas (small cell antennas) are mostly designed to provide omni-directional coverage in the azimuth plane (horizontal plane). Thus, most small cell antennas include multiple reflective plates (which may comprise a unitary structure or multiple separate reflective plates), each of which may have one or more radiating elements mounted thereon. The radiating element is typically mounted on a feed board printed circuit board, which is mounted outside the reflector board. The radiating elements mounted on different reflective plates are configured to emit RF energy in different directions. For example four baffles may be arranged to define a tube having a rectangular cross-section, the radiating elements may be mounted to extend outwardly from each baffle, and a power splitter may be used to split the RF feed signal into a plurality of sub-components, each sub-component being fed to a radiating element mounted on a different baffle. The small cell antennas may be constructed to have a desired shaped radiation pattern or "antenna beam" in the azimuth plane, such as an omni pattern, a peanut-shaped pattern, or a heart-shaped pattern.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna connector including: an input terminal configured to receive an input signal; a power splitter configured to split the input signal into multiple output signals; a housing configured to house the power splitter; and a plurality of output terminals configured to provide the multiplexed output signals to corresponding arrays of radiating elements.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the housing includes a first shell and a second shell opposite to each other.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the power divider comprises: an input port and a plurality of output ports, the input terminal passing through the first housing to be electrically connected with the input port, the plurality of output terminals passing through the second housing to be electrically connected with the plurality of output ports.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the plurality of output terminals are soldered to the corresponding output ports.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the plurality of output terminals are plugged to the corresponding output ports.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the input terminal is soldered to the input port.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the input terminal is plugged to the input port.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, electrical contact is maintained between the input terminal and the input port by pressure.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the first housing and the second housing are connected together by screws.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the operating frequency of the power divider is 3GHz-6GHz, which may be, for example, 5GHz-6 GHz.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the power splitter comprises a printed circuit board.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the antenna connector comprises a cable assembly.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an antenna apparatus including: an antenna connector according to the present disclosure; and a plurality of radiating element arrays configured to radiate electromagnetic waves according to the multiplexed output signals.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a cable assembly including: an antenna connector according to the present disclosure; an input cable electrically connected to the input terminal; and a plurality of output cables electrically connected to the plurality of output terminals, respectively.

Other features of the present invention and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

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

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an array of radiating elements.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an antenna according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3A is a schematic diagram of a connector according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the connector of fig. 3A.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of an array of radiating elements according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a power splitter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5B is a schematic diagram of a power splitter, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a cable assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals may be used in common between different drawings to denote the same portions or portions having the same functions, and a repetitive description of these portions is omitted. In some cases, similar items are indicated using similar reference numbers and/or letters, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, it may not be discussed further in subsequent figures.

For convenience of understanding, the positions, sizes, ranges, and the like of the respective structures shown in the drawings and the like do not sometimes indicate actual positions, sizes, ranges, and the like. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the positions, dimensions, ranges, and the like disclosed in the drawings and the like.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that: the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless specifically stated otherwise.

The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. That is, the structures and methods herein are shown by way of example to illustrate various embodiments of the structures and methods herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that they are merely illustrative of ways in which the invention may be practiced and not exhaustive. Furthermore, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular value should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

Most cell operators have severe limitations on the size of small cell antennas with specific capabilities. Therefore, to conserve space within a small cell antenna, the power divider is integrated into the feed board. However, this arrangement requires a number of different versions of the feed panel.

For example, fig. 1 schematically illustrates two versions of an array assembly (the array assembly including a feed plate and radiating elements mounted thereon) for forming an antenna beam having a peanut-shaped pattern in an azimuth plane. Array module N1+ and array module N1-are disposed on the opposing two reflective plates, respectively. Each of the two array assemblies includes a column of radiating elements and a corresponding power splitter. The power splitter of array assembly N1+ includes a positive polarization signal jumper port 1, a positive polarization signal input port 2, and a negative polarization signal input port 3. The power splitter of array assembly N1-includes a positive polarization signal input port 4, a negative polarization signal input port 5, and a negative polarization signal jumper port 6. The positively polarized signal input port 2 and the negatively polarized signal input port 5 are directly electrically connected to an external signal source (not shown). The positive polarization signal input from the positive polarization signal input port 2 is input to the positive polarization signal input port 4 of the array module N1-via the positive polarization signal jumper port 1. A negative polarization signal input from the negative polarization signal input port 5 is input to the negative polarization signal input port 3 of the array assembly N1+ via the negative polarization signal jumper port 6. For more complex radiation patterns or tighter spaces, more versions of the array assembly are required.

Implementing the power splitter and the feed plate increases the size of the feed plate. For small antennas with limited space, sometimes the outer surface of the reflector is not covered, and most antenna manufacturers put an independent power divider in the inner cavity formed by the reflectors, and then use jumpers to connect the radiating elements on different reflectors. There are some disadvantages to using this approach. First, the power divider is placed inside the internal cavity, and the antenna is inconvenient to debug. Second, if the quality of the solder joint between the power divider and the jumper cable is poor, or if the power divider itself has problems, rework requires disassembly of the reflective plate, which takes a lot of time. Thirdly, for the multi-band and multi-port antenna, many jumper cables are needed, which results in complicated winding of the jumper cables and increases the assembly difficulty.

Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an antenna 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 2, antenna 100 includes a power divider 102 and an array of radiating elements 110. The power splitter 102 receives an input signal from a signal source (not shown). The power splitter 102 includes one input port and four output ports. The input port of the power divider 102 is configured to receive an input signal, divide the input signal into four sub-components including corresponding output signals, and output the output signals from four output ports respectively. The radiating element array 110 includes 4 columns of radiating

elements

111, 112, 113, 114, each electrically connected to four output ports of the power divider 102. The radiating element array 110 can radiate electromagnetic waves outward according to output signals from the four output ports of the power divider 102.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the four output signals of the power splitter 102 may have the same power level or different power levels, and the disclosure is not particularly limited thereto.

In the exemplary antenna 100 shown in fig. 2, the power divider 102 is a separate component. Therefore, the same feeding board can be used for each reflection board, so that only one feeding board needs to be designed for the antenna 100. In addition, since the power divider 102 is independent, the size of the feeding board can be reduced.

Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate schematic diagrams of an antenna connector 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, fig. 3A is a schematic diagram of the antenna connector 300, and fig. 3B is an exploded perspective view of the antenna connector 300. As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the antenna connector 300 includes: input terminal 301, shell 302, power divider 304, a plurality of output terminals 303. The housing 302 includes a first case 311 and a second case 312 that are opposite to each other. The power divider 304 is disposed in a cavity formed by the first housing 311 and the second housing 312. The power splitter 304 may include a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board may include a dielectric substrate having conductive traces on a first major surface and a metallic ground plane on a second major surface opposite the first major surface. In the antenna connector 300 shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the power divider 304 may divide one input signal into four output signals, that is, includes one input port and four output ports. The input terminal 301 of the antenna connector 300 is electrically connected to the input port of the power divider 304 through the hole 322 on the first housing 311. Input terminal 301 may provide an input signal from a signal source (not shown) to power splitter 304. The four output terminals 303 of the antenna connector 300 are electrically connected to the radiating element array through the second housing 312, thereby supplying signals output from the respective output ports of the power divider 304 to the corresponding radiating elements.

Fig. 5A and 5B show schematic diagrams of a power splitter 304 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the power divider 304. As shown in fig. 5A, the power divider 304 includes a substrate 502 made of a dielectric material, a ground layer 503 made of a conductive material, and a functional layer 501 formed with a conductive trace.

Fig. 5B shows a plan view of the power splitter 304. As shown in fig. 5B, the power divider 304 is a T-shaped power divider with an operating frequency of 5GHz-6 GHz. The power splitter 304 includes 1

input port

511, 4 output ports 512, and an absorbing resistor 513. The input port 511 is electrically connected to the input terminal 301 of the antenna connector 300, and the 4 output ports 512 are electrically connected to the 4 output terminals 303 of the antenna connector 300, respectively. For example, the input terminal 301 and the output terminal 303 may be directly soldered to the corresponding input port 511 and the output port 512, thereby achieving electrical connection. Further, the input port 511 and the output port 512 may be provided with, for example, jacks, and the input terminal 301 and the output terminal 303 may be provided with pins, which are inserted into the corresponding jacks, thereby achieving electrical connection.

In addition, in some cases, the power divider 304 may also provide a sinking resistance 513. It should be appreciated that the absorbing resistor 513 may absorb a portion of the energy and may adjust the power curve so that the output signal of the power splitter meets the requirements of the customer and associated specifications.

It should be understood that the antenna connector 300 shown in fig. 3A and 3B is but one exemplary embodiment of a connector according to the present disclosure. The antenna connector according to the present disclosure is not limited to the structure shown in fig. 3A and 3B. An antenna connector according to the present disclosure may include: an input terminal configured to receive an input signal; a power splitter configured to split the input signal into multiple output signals; a housing configured to house the power splitter; and a plurality of output terminals configured to provide the multiplexed output signals to corresponding arrays of radiating elements.

For example, fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an array of radiating elements of a small cell antenna according to the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, to achieve an omnidirectional radiation pattern in an azimuth plane, the reflector 401 has four reflective panels, facing four different directions, each panel having an array of radiating elements 402 disposed thereon. Signals output from the four output ports of the power divider 304 of the antenna connector 300 are supplied to the corresponding radiating element arrays 402 via the four output terminals 303.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, the input terminal 301 and the output terminal 303 may be electrically connected to an input port and an output port of the power divider 304, respectively, by means of soldering. In addition, other suitable electrical connections, such as a plug-in connection, may also be used.

The first housing 311 and the second housing 312 may be fixed together by screws 305. As shown in fig. 3B, the first housing 311 and the second housing 312 have a rectangular shape, and screw holes 321 are respectively formed at four corners. The screw 305 passes through the screw hole 321, thereby fastening the first housing 311 and the second housing 312 together. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, when the first and

second housings

311 and 312 are fastened together by the screws 305, electrical contact is maintained between the input terminal 301 and the input port of the power divider 304 by pressure, thereby achieving electrical connection. Further, the output port of the power divider 304 may be in the form of a jack, and the output terminal 303 may be in the form of a pin. In this way, the electrical connection between the output terminal 303 and the output port of the power divider 304 is achieved by means of plugging.

With the connector of the present disclosure, the influence of solder joints on the antenna device can be reduced or eliminated. For example, the amount of tin in the solder joint affects return loss (return loss). Mounting the antenna device belongs to field work, and if each terminal is manually soldered to a corresponding port of the power divider by an installer under conditions such as outdoors, the amount of tin of each solder joint may be uneven, increasing return loss. Also, if the amount of tin is large, the degree of Passive Intermodulation (PIM) distortion in the antenna is also increased. If the connector of the present disclosure is employed, the welding between the respective terminals (e.g., the input terminal 301 and the output terminal 303) and the power divider 304 may be performed in a factory in a batch manner. In this way, the soldering quality and the amount of tin of the soldering point can be strictly controlled, so that the return loss can be kept consistent, and the passive intermodulation distortion degree can be reduced.

In addition, by adopting the antenna connector disclosed by the invention, the array subassembly (such as a feed board) and the power divider are separated, the volume of the array subassembly is reduced, and the design of the array subassembly is simplified. Therefore, only one array component needs to be designed, and modularization and platform of product design are facilitated.

In addition, in the antenna connector according to the present disclosure, the operating frequency range of the power divider may be, for example, a wide frequency band (e.g., 3GHz-6GHz) or other suitable frequency band.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the antenna connector 300 described above. For example, the power splitter 304 may have two, three, five, or more output ports. The housing 302 may also be composed of three or more shells, or a single shell. The housing may be made of, for example, a metal material, or may be made of other materials such as resin, plastic, and the like.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of a cable assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6, the cable assembly includes the antenna connector 300 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, an input cable 601, and a plurality of output cables 602 described above. The input cable 601 may be electrically connected to the input terminal 301 of the antenna connector 300, one ends of the plurality of output cables 602 may be respectively connected to the corresponding output terminals 303 of the antenna connector 300, and the other ends of the output cables 602 are respectively electrically connected to the corresponding radiating elements.

In addition, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the following technical solutions may also be adopted:

1. an antenna connector, comprising:

an input terminal configured to receive an input signal;

a power splitter configured to split the input signal into multiple output signals;

a housing configured to house the power splitter; and

a plurality of output terminals configured to provide the multiplexed output signals to corresponding radiating element arrays.

2. The antenna connector of claim 1, wherein the housing includes first and second shells opposite one another.

3. The antenna connector of claim 2, wherein the power splitter comprises: an input port and a plurality of output ports,

the input terminal is electrically connected to the input port through the first housing, and the output terminals are electrically connected to the output ports through the second housing.

4. The antenna connector according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of output terminals are soldered to corresponding said output ports.

5. The antenna connector according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of output terminals are plugged to the corresponding output ports.

6. The antenna connector of claim 3, wherein the input terminal is soldered to the input port.

7. The antenna connector according to claim 3, wherein said input terminal is plugged to said input port.

8. The antenna connector of claim 3, wherein electrical contact is maintained between the input terminal and the input port by pressure.

9. The antenna connector of claim 3, wherein the first and second housings are connected together by screws.

10. The antenna connector of claim 1, wherein the operating frequency of the power divider is 3GHz-6 GHz.

11. The antenna connector according to 10, wherein the operating frequency of the power divider is 5GHz-6 GHz.

12. The antenna connector of claim 1, wherein the power divider comprises a printed circuit board.

13. The antenna connector of claim 1, wherein the antenna connector comprises a cable assembly.

14. An antenna device, comprising:

the antenna connector of any one of claims 1-13; and

a plurality of radiating element arrays configured to radiate electromagnetic waves according to the multiplexed output signals.

15. A cable assembly, comprising:

the antenna connector according to any one of claims 1-13;

an input cable electrically connected to the input terminal; and

a plurality of output cables electrically connected to the plurality of output terminals, respectively.

The terms "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

As used herein, the word "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not as a "model" that is to be replicated accurately. Any implementation exemplarily described herein is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the detailed description.

As used herein, the term "substantially" is intended to encompass any minor variations due to design or manufacturing imperfections, tolerances of the devices or components, environmental influences and/or other factors. The word "substantially" also allows for differences from a perfect or ideal situation due to parasitics, noise, and other practical considerations that may exist in a practical implementation.

In addition, the foregoing description may refer to elements or nodes or features being "connected" or "coupled" together. As used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, "connected" means that one element/node/feature is directly connected to (or directly communicates with) another element/node/feature, either electrically, mechanically, logically, or otherwise. Similarly, unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element/node/feature may be mechanically, electrically, logically, or otherwise joined to another element/node/feature in a direct or indirect manner to allow for interaction, even though the two features may not be directly connected. That is, "coupled" is intended to include both direct and indirect joining of elements or other features, including connection with one or more intermediate elements.

In addition, "first," "second," and like terms may also be used herein for reference purposes only, and thus are not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other such numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

It will be further understood that the terms "comprises/comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the boundaries between the above described operations merely illustrative. Multiple operations may be combined into a single operation, single operations may be distributed in additional operations, and operations may be performed at least partially overlapping in time. Moreover, alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation, and the order of operations may be altered in various other embodiments. However, other modifications, variations, and alternatives are also possible. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of illustration, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above illustration is only for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The various embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any combination without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An antenna connector, comprising:

an input terminal configured to receive an input signal;

a housing configured to house the power splitter; and

2. The antenna connector according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises first and second shells opposite to each other.

3. The antenna connector of claim 2, wherein the power divider comprises: an input port and a plurality of output ports,

4. The antenna connector of claim 3, wherein said plurality of output terminals are soldered to corresponding said output ports.

5. The antenna connector of claim 3, wherein the plurality of output terminals are plugged to the corresponding output ports.

7. The antenna connector of claim 3, wherein the input terminal is plugged into the input port.

9. An antenna device, comprising:

the antenna connector of any one of claims 1-8; and

a plurality of arrays of radiating elements configured to radiate electromagnetic waves in accordance with the multiplexed output signals.

10. A cable assembly, comprising:

the antenna connector of any one of claims 1-8;

an input cable electrically connected to the input terminal; and