CN112864616A

CN112864616A - End cover and antenna housing assembly with same

Info

Publication number: CN112864616A
Application number: CN202110269862.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 丁冬峰; 时均浩
Original assignee: Rosenberger Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Rosenberger Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-12
Filing date: 2021-03-12
Publication date: 2021-05-28
Also published as: WO2022188257A1; EP4307474A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an end cap and a radome assembly having the same, the end cap defining an end cap plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of a radome and passing through a connection portion of the end cap and the radome, a contour line of a cross section of the end cap including: a first spline curve extending between a first end point and a first intermediate point and having at least one first curvature, the first end point lying in the plane of the end cap; and a second spline extending between the second and third intermediate points and having at least one second curvature, the first and second intermediate points not lying in the plane of the end cap, the first and second intermediate points being equidistant from the plane of the end cap and no less than any point in the cross-section of the end cap and the average of the at least one first curvature being greater than the average of the at least one second curvature. The appearance of this end cover is through aerodynamic optimal design, and it can show the windage that reduces base station antenna after assembling with the antenna house to improve the reliability of antenna installation on the tower.

Description

End cover and antenna housing assembly with same

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of antennas, and more particularly, to an end cap capable of reducing wind resistance of an antenna and a radome assembly having the same.

Background

In recent years, with the rapid development of technology, wireless mobile communication technology is rapidly popularized worldwide, and in order to solve the contradiction between supply and demand of wireless mobile data, a new frequency spectrum band, a new cellular technology (such as LTE), and a multi-antenna technology (such as MIMO) are emerging to meet the increasing demand of mobile data. This results in a greater number of antennas being mounted on the tower for each base station antenna, which inevitably results in larger and larger antenna sizes and thus greater wind resistance experienced by the antenna.

At present, the mainstream radome still has a rectangular cross section, the cross section belongs to a blunt body shape, when wind flows through the radome surface, vortex and fluid separation can be generated, so that complex air acting force is generated, and the base station antenna can vibrate due to the force. In addition, the mainstream station building model of most base station antennas is a single-pipe communication tower adopting a steel structure, and the tower body of the tower type communication tower has the defects of low rigidity and overlarge horizontal displacement of the tower top. Therefore, the wind resistance of the antenna is reduced, the reliability of the antenna is improved, and the installation and fixation cost of the base station antenna is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the profound understanding of the problems presented in the background, the inventors of the present disclosure propose in the present case an end cap for a radome and a radome assembly including the end cap. Specifically, a first aspect of the present disclosure proposes an end cap defining an end cap plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the radome and passing through a connection portion of the end cap and the radome, an outline of a cross section of the end cap including:

a first spline curve extending between a first end point and a first intermediate point and having at least one first curvature, wherein the first end point is located within the endcap plane; and

a second spline curve extending between a second intermediate point and a third intermediate point and having at least one second curvature, wherein the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point do not lie in the plane of the end cap,

wherein the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point are equidistant from the plane of the end cap and are not less than any point on the cross-section of the end cap and the average of the at least one first curvature is greater than the average of the at least one second curvature.

Here, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that a spline curve is not only capable of having one curvature, but that a spline curve, for example, can have multiple curvatures, e.g., a first spline curve can have multiple first curvatures. Likewise, the second spline can have a plurality of second curvatures. It is required among the technical solutions of the present disclosure that the average value of the at least one first curvature is larger than the average value of the at least one second curvature. Preferably, a smallest first curvature of the plurality of first curvatures is larger than a largest second curvature of the plurality of second curvatures. That is, the first curvature corresponding to the portion of the first spline curve having the smallest curvature is also larger than the second curvature corresponding to the portion of the second spline curve having the largest curvature.

From this, according to this disclosure's end cover can be through aerodynamic optimal design to its appearance, can show to reduce the wind resistance of the holistic antenna of base station antenna including holding in this end cover, antenna house and the antenna house after this end cover assembles with the antenna house to improve the reliability of antenna installation on the tower. In addition, when the wind resistance of the antenna is reduced, the length of the base station antenna cannot be increased after the end cover and the antenna housing are assembled.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point coincide. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the first intermediate point may not coincide with the second intermediate point in the technical solutions proposed in the present disclosure. The end cover is made to be convex in front and concave in back in such a way, so that the flow is facilitated, and the wind resistance of the antenna end cover is further reduced.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the third intermediate point is located in the plane of the end cap. In this way, the spline curves of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure include only the first spline curve and the second spline curve and a portion that may exist between the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point, the structure thereof is simple, and the technical purpose of reducing the wind resistance can be achieved.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the cross-section of the end cap further comprises:

a third spline curve extending between a third intermediate point and a second end point and having at least one third curvature, wherein the third intermediate point is not located within the end cap plane and the second end point is located within the end cap plane, and wherein an average of the at least one third curvature is greater than an average of the at least one first curvature and an average of the at least one second curvature.

In this way, the spline curves of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure include not only the first spline curve and the second spline curve, but also a third spline curve by means of which the aerodynamic performance of the end cap can be further optimized, further reducing the wind resistance characteristics of the end cap.

As previously mentioned, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a spline curve is not only capable of having one curvature, but that a spline curve, for example, can have multiple curvatures. Likewise, for example, the third spline can have a plurality of third curvatures. Preferably, a smallest third curvature of the plurality of third curvatures is larger than a largest first curvature of the plurality of first curvatures and a largest second curvature of the plurality of second curvatures. That is, the third curvature corresponding to the portion of the third spline curve with the smallest curvature is also larger than the first curvature corresponding to the portion of the first spline curve with the largest curvature and the second curvature corresponding to the portion of the second spline curve with the largest curvature.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the third distance of the third intermediate point from the end cap plane is within 90% of the first distance of the first intermediate point from the end cap plane, preferably the third distance of the third intermediate point from the end cap plane is between 60% and 70% of the first distance of the first intermediate point from the end cap plane. In this way the aerodynamic performance of the end cap can be further optimised, further reducing the wind resistance characteristics of the end cap.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, a cross-section of the end cap is smooth at the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that smoothing herein means that the curvature of the spline before and after the first and second intermediate points does not appear abrupt.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end cap further comprises: at least two side contour surfaces that together with a top contour surface that includes the first spline curve and the second spline curve comprise the end cap.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, a first length of a projection of the first spline curve on the end cap plane is less than a second length of a projection of the second spline curve on the end cap plane. Preferably, the first length is between 0.2 and 1 times the second length, more preferably the first length is between 0.5 and 0.6 times the second length.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end cap is made of a fiberglass composite material. In this way, the structural strength of the end cover provided according to the present disclosure can be enhanced, and the structural stability of the end cover is optimized, so that the end cover is not easily deformed when being subjected to wind force, and a strong guarantee is provided for optimizing the aerodynamic performance of the end cover and reducing the wind resistance of the end cover.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the contour line of the cross-section of the end cap includes a first spline curve, a portion between the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point, and the second spline curve collectively forming a spline. In such a way that the cross section of the whole end cover comprising the first spline curve, the part between the first middle point and the second middle point and the part of the second spline curve are smoothly continuous, namely the part with excessive curvature change does not occur, the design is favorable for air flow guiding, and the wind resistance of the end cover and the antenna comprising the end cover is further reduced.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end cap is provided with a plurality of grooves/ridges, recesses and/or protrusions on an outer surface thereof. Preferably, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, each of the plurality of grooves has a cross-sectional shape of a circular arc, an inverted trapezoid, a rectangle, and/or a V, or each of the plurality of protrusion bars has a cross-sectional shape of a circular arc, a trapezoid, a rectangle, and/or an inverted V.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the plurality of grooves are divided into a first groove group and a second groove group, the grooves of the first groove group are parallel to each other and the grooves of the second groove group are parallel to each other, and wherein the grooves of the first groove group and the grooves of the second groove group are not parallel and have a first included angle, preferably the first included angle is in a range of 20 degrees to 40 degrees. Further preferably, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end cap has a diagonal rib on an inner surface thereof.

Furthermore, a second aspect of the present disclosure proposes a radome assembly comprising: the antenna housing is provided with a first accommodating cavity for accommodating the oscillator; the end cover is arranged at one end of the antenna housing to seal the first accommodating cavity; and the projection of the radiation arm of the oscillator on the plane of the end cover is positioned in the projection of the curved surface where the first spline curve is positioned on the plane of the end cover.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end cap has a second receiving chamber communicating with the first receiving chamber; the radiating arm is at least partially located within the second receiving cavity.

In conclusion, according to the end cover of this disclosure can be through aerodynamics optimal design to its appearance, can show to reduce the windage of the holistic antenna of the base station antenna who holds including this end cover, antenna house and antenna house after this end cover and antenna house equipment to improve the reliability of antenna installation on the tower. In addition, when the wind resistance of the antenna is reduced, the length of the base station antenna cannot be increased after the end cover and the antenna housing are assembled.

Drawings

Embodiments are shown and described with reference to the drawings. These drawings are provided to illustrate the basic principles and thus only show the aspects necessary for understanding the basic principles. The figures are not to scale. In the drawings, like reference numerals designate similar features.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 100 for a radome in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the end cap 100 for a radome in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 illustrates a side view of an end cap 200 for a radome in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 400 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 500 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 illustrates a bottom view of an end cap 600 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 700 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 800 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram 900 of the air flow performance of an end cap proposed in accordance with the present disclosure compared to a conventional end cap; and

fig. 10 illustrates a schematic view of a radome assembly 1000 in accordance with the present disclosure.

Other features, characteristics, advantages and benefits of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of example, specific embodiments in which the disclosure can be practiced. The example embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive of all embodiments according to the disclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

At present, the method for reducing the wind resistance of the antenna is mainly to change the section shape of the antenna housing, so that the shape of the antenna housing is more in line with the hydrodynamic property. But in addition to providing reliable mechanical protection for the base station antenna, the radome's cross-sectional design also affects the electrical performance. For example, chinese utility model patent CN208272135U discloses that the cross section of the radome is designed into a semi-circular arc shape, and although this design can reduce the wind resistance of the antenna to some extent, the drag reduction effect brought by the optimization of the radome cross section shape is usually limited by the internal space layout of the antenna and cannot be implemented well.

Although wind resistance optimization in the antenna cross-sectional direction is often limited, there is a great deal of space in the antenna longitudinal direction for drag reduction optimization, but this part of optimization is rarely considered and an optimization scheme is proposed. The present disclosure provides an end cap that reduces the wind resistance of a radome, thereby reducing the overall wind resistance of an antenna including the end cap.

In summary, the shape of the end cover is designed through aerodynamic optimization, and after the end cover is assembled with the antenna housing, the wind resistance of the base station antenna can be obviously reduced, so that the reliability of the antenna mounted on the tower is improved. In addition, this end cover can reduce the antenna windage, and this end cover can not increase the length of antenna with the antenna house equipment back.

In order to achieve the above technical effects, the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure has a streamlined design, so that a fluid such as air can be well attached to the surface of the end cap when passing through the streamlined end cap, and the separation of the fluid is not generated.

In addition to a streamlined design, it is preferable to arrange certain grooves on the end cap, which grooves can also further reduce the wind resistance of the antenna. In addition, the end cover is alternatively or additionally convex on the radiating surface of the antenna, the convex shape is not a pure round angle any more, and the shape has more deformation, for example, the end cover is convex and is back-folded in front of the mounting surface, and the design of the shape can reasonably occupy a part of the internal space of the antenna, so that the length of the antenna is not increased.

Moreover, the end cover provided by the disclosure has the advantages of simple shape, convenient shape forming, convenient installation, good structural stability and easy mass production, and compared with a full-arc end cover, the streamlined end cover provided by the disclosure has more variability in shape, for example, the proportion of a front convex part and a rear concave part can be adjusted according to practical application, so that the end cover has more compatibility, the length and the section shape of the antenna do not need to be changed, and the space utilization is better. That is, it is within the scope of the present disclosure that the end cap be of the "nose-and-back" type.

The structural features of the end cap according to the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 8.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 100 for a radome in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen in fig. 1, the end cap 100 for a radome defines an end cap plane 110 perpendicular to a longitudinal axis AA of the radome and passing through a connection portion of the end cap 100 and the radome, the end cap 100 comprising a front convex structure 120 and a rear concave structure 130, in addition to which the end cap 100 comprises two side faces 140.

In order to describe the structure of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure in more detail, the structure of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure is described below with reference to fig. 2 and 3 by means of the outline of the cross section of the end cap perpendicular to the direction BB of the end cap in fig. 1. Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the end cap 100 for a radome in accordance with the embodiment illustrated in fig. 1 of the present disclosure. As can be seen in fig. 2, and as can be seen in fig. 1 and 2, fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along a direction BB perpendicular to the end cap 100 in fig. 1. The contour of the cross-section of the end cap 100 includes:

a first spline curve 120, said first spline curve 120 extending between a first end point 121 and a first intermediate point 122 and having at least one first curvature, wherein said first end point 121 lies in said end cap plane 110; and

a second spline curve 130, said second spline curve 130 extending between a second intermediate point (in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the second intermediate point and the first intermediate point 122 coincide) and a third intermediate point 123 and having at least one second curvature, wherein said first intermediate point 122 and said second intermediate point do not lie in said end cap plane 110,

wherein the average of the at least one first curvature is greater than the average of the at least one second curvature, and wherein the distance from the end cap plane 110 to the first intermediate point 122 and the distance from the end cap plane 110 to the second intermediate point are equal and not less than the distance from the end cap plane 110 to any point in the cross-section of the end cap 100. Fig. 2 shows the aforementioned front convex and rear concave structure, wherein the first length d1 of the projection of the first spline curve 120 on the end cap plane 110 is smaller than the second length d2 of the projection of the second spline curve 130 on the end cap plane 110, and the first length d1 is between 0.2 times and 1 times of the second length d2, and preferably, the first length d1 is 0.5 times and 0.6 times of the second length d 2. In this manner, the aerodynamic performance of the end cap 100 can be further optimized, further reducing the wind resistance characteristics of the end cap 100.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the first intermediate point 122 and the second intermediate point coincide in the example shown in fig. 2, and that the first intermediate point 122 and the second intermediate point can also be non-coincident in other embodiments, meaning that the tip of the end cap has a horizontal plane when the end cap 100 is installed in the orientation shown in fig. 2.

Furthermore, it can be seen from fig. 2 that the third intermediate point 123 is located in the end cap plane 110, but of course, the third intermediate point 123 may not be located in the end cap plane 110, for example, also above the end cap plane 110 in the direction shown in fig. 2.

Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the portion of the end cap 100 that is coupled to the radome in the orientation shown in fig. 2 is a horizontal plane, which is merely an example. In addition to this, the portion of the end cap 100 that is connected to the radome can also be, for example, a bevel, or even not a plane, but regardless of the shape of the antenna end cap 100, it always has an end cap plane 110 that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis AA of the radome and passes through the portion of the end cap 100 that is connected to the radome. The end cap plane 110 can, for example, pass through the end cap 100 and radome attachment portion at a higher position, such as when the end of the radome is a tangentially-chamfered plane rather than a horizontal plane.

Here, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that a spline curve is not only capable of having one curvature, but that a spline curve, for example, can have a plurality of curvatures, e.g., the first spline curve 120 can have a plurality of first curvatures. Likewise, the second spline 130 can have a plurality of second curvatures. It is required among the technical solutions of the present disclosure that the average value of the at least one first curvature is larger than the average value of the at least one second curvature. Preferably, a smallest first curvature of the plurality of first curvatures is larger than a largest second curvature of the plurality of second curvatures. That is, the first curvature corresponding to the portion of the first spline 120 with the smallest curvature is also larger than the second curvature corresponding to the portion of the second spline 130 with the largest curvature.

The end cap can also include other portions in accordance with the inventive concepts of the present disclosure, for example, fig. 3 shows a side view of an end cap 200 for a radome in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen in fig. 3, according to the present disclosure, there is provided an end cap 200 for a radome, the end cap 200 defining an end cap plane 210 perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the radome and passing through a connection portion of the end cap 200 and the radome, a contour line of a cross section of the end cap 200 includes: a first spline curve 220, said first spline curve 220 extending between a first end point 221 and a first intermediate point 222 and having at least one first curvature, wherein said first end point 221 lies within said end cap plane 210; and a second spline curve 230, said second spline curve 230 extending between a second intermediate point (coinciding with first intermediate point 222 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3) and a third intermediate point 223 and having at least one second curvature, wherein said first intermediate point 222 and said second intermediate point (coinciding with first intermediate point 222 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3) are not located in said end cap plane 210, wherein the distance of said first intermediate point 222 from said end cap plane 210 and the distance of said second intermediate point from said end cap plane 210 are equal and not less than the distance of any point on said cross-section of said end cap 200 from said end cap plane 210 and the average of said at least one first curvature is greater than the average of said at least one second curvature. For example, as can be seen in fig. 3, the third distance h2 of the third intermediate point 223 from the end cap plane 210 is within 90% of the first distance h1 of the first intermediate point 222 from the end cap plane 210, and preferably, the third distance h2 of the third intermediate point 223 from the end cap plane 210 is between 60% and 70% of the first distance h1 of the first intermediate point 222 from the end cap plane 210. In terms of specific dimensions, the first distance h1 here may be, for example, higher than 10 millimeters. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in the example shown in fig. 3, the first intermediate point 322 and the second intermediate point coincide, and in other embodiments, the first intermediate point 322 and the second intermediate point can be non-coincident, meaning that the tip of the tip cap has a horizontal plane when the tip cap 100 is installed in the orientation shown in fig. 2.

In addition to the two spline curves described above, in the example according to fig. 3, the end cap 200 further comprises a third spline curve 240, the third spline curve 240 extending between a third intermediate point 223 and a second end point 224 and having at least one third curvature, wherein the third intermediate point 223 does not lie in the end cap plane 210 and the second end point 224 lies in the end cap plane 210, and wherein the average of the at least one third curvature is greater than the average of the at least one first curvature and the average of the at least one second curvature. In this manner, the spline curves of the tip cap 200 proposed according to the present disclosure include not only the first spline curve 220 and the second spline curve 230, but also a third spline curve 240, by means of which third spline curve 240 the aerodynamic performance of the tip cap can be further optimized, further reducing the wind drag characteristics of the tip cap 200.

Here, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that a spline curve is not only capable of having one curvature, but that a spline curve, for example, can have multiple curvatures, e.g., the first spline curve 220 can have multiple first curvatures. Likewise, the second spline 230 can have a plurality of second curvatures. It is required among the technical solutions of the present disclosure that the average value of the at least one first curvature is larger than the average value of the at least one second curvature. Preferably, a smallest first curvature of the plurality of first curvatures is larger than a largest second curvature of the plurality of second curvatures. That is, the first curvature corresponding to the portion of the first spline 220 with the smallest curvature is also larger than the second curvature corresponding to the portion of the second spline 230 with the largest curvature. Further, similarly, for example, the third spline 240 can have a plurality of third curvatures. Preferably, a smallest third curvature of the plurality of third curvatures is larger than a largest first curvature of the plurality of first curvatures and a largest second curvature of the plurality of second curvatures. That is, the third curvature corresponding to the portion of the third spline 240 with the smallest curvature is also larger than the first curvature corresponding to the portion of the first spline 220 with the largest curvature and the second curvature corresponding to the portion of the second spline 230 with the largest curvature. Further, the cross-section of the end cap is smooth at the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point. The contour of the cross-section of the end cap includes a first spline curve 220, a portion between the first intermediate point 222 and the second intermediate point (coinciding with the first intermediate point 222 in the example shown in fig. 3), and the second spline curve 230 that collectively form a spline segment.

The end caps according to the present disclosure can include other portions in addition to the spline curves described above. For example, the end cap 200 can include, on its outer surface, in addition to the

spline curves

220, 230, and 240, at least two side contour surfaces (not shown) that together with a top contour surface that includes the first spline curve 220 and the second spline curve 230 and possibly a third spline curve 240, comprise the end cap 200.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end caps 100, 200 can be made of, for example, a fiberglass composite. In this way, the structural strength of the

end cap

100, 200 proposed according to the present disclosure can be enhanced, and the structural stability thereof can be optimized such that it is not easily deformed or has only a small deformation when subjected to wind, thereby providing a strong guarantee for optimizing the aerodynamic performance thereof and thus reducing the wind resistance of the

end cap

100, 200. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the end caps 100, 200 are manufactured by a compression molding process. In this way, the end cap can be mass produced in a simple process and thus the manufacturing cost of the

end cap

100, 200 can be reduced. That is to say, the material of the end cover of this disclosure can be glass steel material for example, adopts compression molding, and the end cover intensity of making is higher than the fashioned rigidity of ordinary plastic, and the high rigidity end cover can improve the restraint rigidity of antenna house tip, can improve the modal frequency of antenna and reduce the deformation of antenna when experiencing wind-force, consequently also has the promotion effect to the holistic anti-wind ability of antenna. Of course other materials and molding processes may be used.

Within the present disclosure, the first, second and/or third spline curves may be in the form of a small radius arc, a straight line or an indeterminate pattern of spline curves. Wherein the second spline curve may even be a straight-line like structure.

In addition to the spline features described above, the end cap can be designed with other features in order to further optimize the wind resistance characteristics of the end cap described above. Design points other than spline features are described below in conjunction with fig. 4 through 8. For example, some surface drag reducing features such as dimples, bumps, grooves and/or raised strips may be added to the end caps of the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 400 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen in fig. 4, in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, a plurality of grooves 470 are provided on the outer surface of the end cap 400, and each of the grooves 470 can have, for example, a circular arc cross-sectional shape, an inverted trapezoid cross-sectional shape, a rectangular cross-sectional shape, and/or a V-sectional shape. As shown in fig. 4, the present disclosure arranges a number of drag reducing grooves 470 on the surface of the end cap 400, and the shape of the grooves 470 may be circular, inverted trapezoidal, rectangular, V-shaped, etc. The grooves in fig. 4 of the present disclosure employ, for example, semicircular grooves. The drag reduction grooves are distributed in a splayed shape, the included angle alpha between the grooves on two sides is 20 degrees for example, and the distance L between the grooves on the same side is 30mm for example. The addition of these channels 470 may reduce turbulence bursts and increase flow order when the fluid flows across the surface of the end cap 400, thereby reducing the turbulence energy of the flow. Studies have shown that the end caps with the drag reducing grooves 470 can reduce the wind resistance by about 2% over the unadditized wind resistance. In addition, the addition of these channels 470 increases the end cap's resistance to deformation, thereby increasing the resistance to deformation of the radome with which the end cap 400 is mated. Furthermore, it can be seen from fig. 4 that the grooves 470 are not of equal length, but shorter closer to the longitudinal end edges, for example as can be seen from fig. 4, the grooves have lengths that become shorter and shorter in the direction from groove 471 to groove 476. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, however, that such examples are merely illustrative and not limiting, and that other arrangements, such as providing the respective grooves to be of equal length, are also possible.

It is of course also contemplated that these drag reducing grooves may be grooves formed not below the upper surface of the end cap, but may be grooves formed by projections above the upper surface of the end cap, as shown in fig. 5, for example. Fig. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 500 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen from fig. 5, in the embodiment shown in fig. 5, a plurality of protruding bars 570 are provided on the outer surface of the end cap 500, and each of the protruding bars 570 can have a cross-sectional shape of, for example, a circular arc, a trapezoid, a rectangle, and/or an inverted V. The present disclosure employs, for example, semicircular protruding bars 570. The resistance-reducing protruding strips are distributed in a splayed shape, the included angle beta between the protruding strips on two sides is 10 degrees for example, and the distance D between the protruding strips on the same side is 20mm for example. The addition of the ribs 570 can reduce turbulence bursts and increase flow order of the fluid as it flows across the surface of the end cap 500, thereby reducing flow turbulence. Studies have shown that the end caps with the drag reducing ridges 570 can reduce the wind resistance by about 3% over the unadditized wind resistance. In addition, the addition of these raised strips 570 increases the resistance of the end cap to deformation, thereby increasing the resistance of the radome with which the end cap 500 is mated to deform. Furthermore, as can be seen in fig. 5, the protrusion strips 570 are all of equal length, i.e., the protrusion strips 571 and 576 can be of equal length. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such examples are merely illustrative and not limiting, and that other arrangements, such as disposing each of the projecting strips 570 shorter closer to the longitudinal end edges, are also possible.

In summary, in the exemplary embodiments shown in fig. 4 to 5, the plurality of grooves is divided into a first groove group (for example, the left groove in fig. 4 or the left groove in fig. 5 formed by a raised strip) and a second groove group (for example, the right groove in fig. 4 or the right groove in fig. 5 formed by a raised strip), the grooves of the first groove group are parallel to each other and the distance between the first grooves may be within 50 mm, for example, the grooves of the second groove group are parallel to each other and the distance between the second grooves may be within 50 mm, for example, the depth of the first groove and the depth of the second groove may be within 5 mm, for example, while the distance between the first groove of the first groove group closest to the second groove group and the second groove of the second groove group closest to the first groove group may be greater than 80 mm, and wherein the grooves of the first groove set and the grooves of the second groove set are non-parallel and have a first included angle (e.g., included angle a in fig. 4 and included angle β in fig. 5) in the range of 10 to 60 degrees, preferably in the range of 20 to 40 degrees.

On the basis of fig. 4 and 5, the inventor of the present disclosure may further increase the structural strength of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure, and for this reason, a certain number of tilted ribs may be added to the inner surface of the end cap, so that the entire end cap may have good mechanical properties, and the structural strength thereof may be enhanced. Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom view of an end cap 600 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen in fig. 6, the end cap 600 has a diagonal bead 680 on the inner surface. The diagonal ribs 680 extend in a direction different from the direction in which the grooves or projecting strips on the other side extend.

In addition to the drag reducing features of the grooves, ridges, as described above, other drag reducing features can be designed, such as protrusions or recesses. Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 700 for a radome in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. It can be seen from fig. 7 that, in addition to the common features previously described, the spline curve on the outer surface of the end cap 700 has a uniform distribution of convex hulls 790. Here, as an example, the diameter of the convex hulls is, for example, within 5 cm, the height thereof is, for example, within 1 cm, and the distance between two convex hulls is, for example, within 10 cm. And fig. 8 illustrates a perspective view of an end cap 800 for a radome according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. It can be seen from fig. 8 that, in addition to the common features previously described, the spline curve on the outer surface of the end cap 800 is evenly distributed with dimples 890. By way of example, the diameter of the depressions is, for example, within 5 cm, the depth thereof is, for example, within 1 cm, and the distance between two depressions is, for example, within 10 cm. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the distribution of the convex hulls in fig. 7 and the distribution of the pits in fig. 8 are merely exemplary and not limiting, and that in fact the pits or convex hulls may extend over the entire end cap surface.

To clearly illustrate the technical effect of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure, fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram 900 of the air flow performance of the end cap proposed according to the present disclosure compared to a conventional end cap. In summary, the pressure difference resistance is an absolutely dominant resistance for the blunt body structure of the base station antenna. Since the actual air fluid is viscous, the separation of the fluid results in asymmetric pressure distribution on the surface of the object, thereby creating pressure differential resistance.

Compared with the conventional end cover shown in the upper part of fig. 9, the end cover shown in the middle part of fig. 9 can delay the separation point 5 in the longitudinal direction of the antenna to the rear part of the end cover, but the end cover with a full circular arc is not a perfect resistance reduction scheme, because the fluid extends and separates straight backwards after passing through the front circular arc, and there is no process of attaching the end cover downwards, and the end cover provided by the disclosure shown in the lower part of fig. 9 has a forward convex and backward contraction effect due to the form of the end cover, and the end cover has a moderate "backward contraction", so that the fluid has a downward pressing tendency after passing through the end cover, and can be attached to the end cover as much as possible, and the negative pressure area 6 at the rear part of the radome is lower, thereby achieving the purpose of further resistance reduction.

In other words, as can be seen from fig. 9, compared with a common flat end cap (the lowermost end cap in fig. 9), the drag reduction end cap (the lowermost end cap in fig. 9) provided by the present disclosure has a streamlined structure, so that a fluid can be well attached to the surface of the end cap, the separation point 5 in the longitudinal direction of the antenna can be delayed to the rear of the end cap, and the negative pressure region 6 at the rear of the radome can be reduced after the separation point 5 is pushed, so that the drag reduction purpose can be achieved.

Fig. 10 illustrates a schematic view of a radome assembly 1000 in accordance with the present disclosure. As can be seen in fig. 10, the radome assembly 1000 includes a radome 1020, the radome 1020 body defining a first receiving cavity for receiving an antenna including an element 1030 and a reflector plate 1040; and the radome assembly 1000 further comprises an end cap 1010 according to the above first aspect, the end cap 1010 being mountable on an end of the radome 1020. In the example of fig. 10, an end cap 1010 is mounted to an upper end of a radome 1020. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other mounting orientations are possible, for example, the end cap 1010 may be mounted to the lower end of the radome 1020. Of course, it is also possible that the end cap 1010 may be mounted on the left or right end of the radome 1020. Preferably, a projection of the radiation arm of the oscillator 1030 on the plane of the end cover 1010 is located within a projection of a curved surface of the end cover 1010 on the plane of the end cover, where the first spline curve is located. The end cap 1010 has a second receiving cavity in communication with the first receiving cavity, and the radiating arm is at least partially located within the second receiving cavity. This is provided to fully utilize the inner space of the convex structure of the end cap 1010 in the main radiation direction, namely: the curved surface of the first spline curves encloses a space, thereby reducing the length of the radome assembly 1000 in the direction AA (see fig. 1).

In summary, the antenna including the end cap of the present disclosure is convex on the radiation surface of the antenna, and the convex shape is no longer a pure round angle, because the end cap can be made more versatile by, for example, adjusting the ratio of the front convex part and the rear concave part, and therefore, the antenna has good compatibility in space and does not result in the increase of the length of the antenna. Because the front part of the end cover protrudes outwards, at least part of the antenna oscillator can be contained in the end cover, so that the internal space of the end cover can be reasonably utilized, and the length of the antenna housing assembly is reduced.

While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made which will achieve one or more of the advantages of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Other components performing the same function may be substituted as appropriate by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that features explained herein with reference to a particular figure may be combined with features of other figures, even in those cases where this is not explicitly mentioned. Further, the methods of the present disclosure may be implemented in either all software implementations using appropriate processor instructions or hybrid implementations using a combination of hardware logic and software logic to achieve the same result. Such modifications to the solution according to the disclosure are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An end cap for a radome, the end cap defining an end cap plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the radome and passing through a connection of the end cap to the radome, wherein a contour of a cross-section of the end cap comprises:

2. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point coincide.

3. An end cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the third intermediate point lies in the end cap plane.

4. An end cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cross-section of the end cap further comprises:

5. An end cap according to claim 4, wherein the third distance of the third intermediate point from the end cap plane is within 90% of the first distance of the first intermediate point from the end cap plane, preferably the third distance of the third intermediate point from the end cap plane is between 60% and 70% of the first distance of the first intermediate point from the end cap plane.

6. The end cap of claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the end cap is smooth at the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point.

7. The end cap of claim 1, further comprising:

at least two side contour surfaces that together with a top contour surface that includes the first spline curve and the second spline curve comprise the end cap.

8. The end closure of claim 1, wherein a first length of a projection of the first spline curve on the end closure plane is less than a second length of a projection of the second spline curve on the end closure plane.

9. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the first length is between 0.2 and 1 times the second length, preferably the first length is between 0.5 and 0.6 times the second length.

10. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the end cap is made of a fiberglass composite material.

11. The end closure of claim 1, wherein a contour of a cross-section of the end closure comprises a first spline curve, a portion between the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point, and the second spline curve collectively form a spline segment.

12. An end cap according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the end cap is provided with a plurality of grooves/ridges, recesses and/or protrusions.

13. The end closure of claim 12, wherein each of said plurality of grooves has a cross-sectional shape that is one of circular arc, inverted trapezoid, rectangular and/or V-shaped.

14. The end cap of claim 13, wherein the plurality of grooves are divided into a first group of grooves and a second group of grooves, the grooves of the first group of grooves being parallel to each other and the grooves of the second group of grooves being parallel to each other, and wherein the grooves of the first group of grooves and the grooves of the second group of grooves are non-parallel and have a first included angle, preferably the first included angle is in a range of 20 degrees to 40 degrees.

15. The end cap of claim 1, wherein the end cap has a diagonal rib on an inner surface thereof.

16. A radome assembly, wherein the radome assembly comprises:

the antenna housing is provided with a first accommodating cavity for accommodating the oscillator; and

the end cap of any one of claims 1 to 15, mounted at one end of the radome to seal the first receiving cavity; wherein,

the projection of the radiation arm of the oscillator on the plane of the end cover is positioned in the projection of the curved surface where the first spline curve is positioned on the plane of the end cover.

17. The radome assembly of claim 16, wherein the end cap has a second receiving cavity in communication with the first receiving cavity; the radiating arm is at least partially located within the second receiving cavity.