JP4815574B2 - Antenna beam control device for mobile communication base station - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a base station antenna, and more particularly to an antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station that can control the horizontal azimuth angle and horizontal beam width of an antenna beam by remote control in accordance with changes in radio wave environment.

  In a mobile communication system, the position of an antenna attached to a base station in cell design is an important variable for determining the transmission / reception range (Coverage) of the corresponding cell. Therefore, the antenna is attached to the roof of a city center building or a base station tower near the city center in order to maximize the reach of radio waves.

When installing the antenna, an antenna support pole is built at each base station outdoors, and the antenna is attached to the upper end of the antenna, and the antenna is fixed to the wall or the like indoors. In either case, the antenna is installed using a clamping device. .

An antenna clamping device is a device for fixing an antenna to a wall surface or a structure, but this installation involves a great risk. In other words, in most cases, the clamping device is very dangerous because the installer has to work for a long time using both hands on the high antenna structure. In order to re-install in the vertical and horizontal directions, the same work as in the initial installation must be performed again.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional mobile communication base station antenna device. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional mobile communication base station antenna device has a reflector (see FIG. 1) for receiving and transmitting radio waves. (Not shown), a rod-like support pole 20 for supporting the antenna 10, a connecting member 30 for connecting the upper side of the support pole 20 and the antenna 10, the lower side of the support pole 20 and the antenna 10 and a connecting member 40 that connects the two.

The upper connecting member 30 has a fixing screw portion 31 to which the upper end of the antenna 10 is screwed at one end, and an upper clamp 32 to be fixed to the support pole 20 at the other end. The upper clamp 32 changes the interval between the fastening portions 32b while tightening or loosening the nut 32a. The upper connecting member 30 has a structure in which two connecting arms 33 and 34 are connected to each other. The connecting arms 33 and 34 are connected to each other by a seam portion 35 that is hinged so as to be bent. Hinge portions 33a and 34a having a mutually rotatable structure are arranged between the screw portion 31 and the connecting arm 33 and between the upper clamp 32 and the connecting arm 34, respectively.

The lower connecting member 40 is formed on one side with a fixing screw portion 41 into which the lower end of the antenna 10 is screwed, and on the other end with a lower clamp 42 fixed on the support pole 20. Similar to the upper clamp 32, the lower clamp 42 also changes the distance between the fastening portions 42b while tightening or loosening the nut 42a. The lower clamp 42 and the support pole 20 are hinged so as to be rotatable relative to each other.

On the other hand, an angle display plate 36 is provided on one side of the connecting arm 33 so that the tilted state of the antenna 10 can be confirmed. An adjustment hole 36a is formed in the center of the angle display plate 36 in the longitudinal direction. On both sides of the adjustment hole 36a, there are scales 36b representing the angle. The angle display plate 36 is fixed to the joint portion 35 via a fixing screw 35a that passes through one side of the adjustment hole 36a, and is fixed to the side surface of the connecting arm 33 via an adjustment screw 33b that passes through the other side of the adjustment hole 36a. Is done.

Next, an installation process of the conventional mobile communication base station antenna apparatus having the above structure will be described. First, the nuts 32a and 42a of the upper clamp 32 and the lower clamp 42 are loosened, and the upper and lower clamps 32 and 42 are fitted to the support pole 20 in a state where the intervals between the fastening portions 32b and the fastening portions 42b are increased. After the antenna 10 is rotated so as to coincide with the direction of the radio wave corresponding to the sector and the directivity angle is adjusted, the nuts 32 a and 42 a are tightened to fix the antenna 10 to the support pole 20.

In this state, the adjustment screws 33b and 35a are loosened to adjust the inclination of the antenna 10 while moving the antenna 10 in the direction in which the upper connecting member 30 is contracted or extended. The antenna 10 is fixed by tightening 33b and 35a. At this time, the inclination of the antenna 10 is confirmed by reading the value of the position where the scale 36b of the angle display plate 36 and the adjustment screw 33b coincide.

However, in recent years, there has been an increasing need to adjust the direction of the antenna beam in view of changes in the terrain of buildings around the base station or deterioration in call quality in areas with high call volume.
In addition, since the mobile communication system is adjacent to other base stations, the base station position is selected in consideration of the degree of radio interference with the adjacent base station when the base station is installed and operated. All base station settings must be considered together.

In addition, in the horizontal azimuth angle of the antenna beam, that is, horizontal steering (Horizontal Steering), when electrical horizontal steering is performed to control and adjust the phase of the signal transferred to each radiating element, scanning is performed while changing the beam direction. A loss (Scan Loss) occurs, and a side lobe increases (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Therefore, in horizontal steering, it is preferable to adjust by rotating the antenna itself left and right mechanically.
When electrical adjustment is performed, an antenna including at least two rows of radiating element arrays must be used, which leads to a reduction in horizontal beam width, an increase in product size, and an increase in cost. There was a problem.

On the other hand, the above-described conventional mobile communication base station antenna apparatus has to be adjusted by the installer directly approaching the antenna structure, and there is a risk of work difficulties and safety accidents. There was a problem that could not be changed from time to time.
In addition, in the conventional mobile communication base station antenna device, a clamping device is attached to the outside of the antenna, and it is configured to be coupled to the support pole, so that the space occupied by the antenna device as a whole is large, There was a problem that the appearance was not beautiful.

On the other hand, in the case of electrical downtilting using a phase shifter in contrast to vertical downtilting, the shape of the horizontal beam can be maintained, but in the case of mechanical downtilting, the central portion of the horizontal beam is maintained. Is effectively controlled, but the sides are not precisely controlled, so electrical downtilting is therefore said to be more effective.

JP 2001-223516 A

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the problems in the conventional antenna apparatus for mobile communication base stations, and an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna reflector with the center of at least one antenna reflector as the central axis. It is an object to provide an antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station that can adjust the horizontal azimuth angle of an antenna beam by rotating the.

Still another object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the product by incorporating all the configurations of the present invention in a radome, and to provide an antenna beam control device for a mobile communication base station with a beautiful appearance and environmental friendliness. Is to provide.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna beam control device for a mobile communication base station which can adjust the horizontal azimuth angle of an antenna by mechanical operation and can be controlled remotely.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is that the horizontal azimuth angle of the antenna can be adjusted by a mechanical operation by remote control, so that the horizontal steering can be performed only by an antenna constituted by a single row of radiating element arrays. Another object of the present invention is to provide an antenna beam control device for a mobile communication base station that can reduce the cost and cost.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an electrical vertical by using an antenna that can be electrically tilted to the antennas coupled together by adjusting the horizontal steering of the antennas by remote control and mechanical manipulation. An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna beam control device for a hybrid type mobile communication base station capable of down-tilting and mechanical horizontal steering.

In order to achieve the above object, an antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention includes a lower cap and an upper cap, a motor box mounted on the lower cap and providing a rotational force, and an upper and lower cap. And a first bearing that is inserted into the upper housing space of the bracket. The bracket is coupled to the upper surface of the lower cap in a state of housing the motor box in the lower housing space. A first shaft inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the first bearing and rotated by the rotational force of the motor box, a second bearing attached to the upper cap, and inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the second bearing. A second shaft that rotates and an upper end and a lower end of the second shaft that are fixed to the first and second shafts, respectively, and an antenna element for receiving and transmitting radio waves is mounted. An antenna reflector, and a radome connected between the upper cap and the lower cap, and housing the motor box, bracket, first bearing, first shaft, second bearing, second shaft, and antenna reflector. By rotating the first and second shafts, the antenna reflector rotates about the center of the upper and lower sides of the antenna reflector, and the centers of the upper and lower sides of the antenna reflector are The center of rotation of the radome coincides with the center axis of the radome, and the center rotates about the center .

According to the antenna beam control apparatus of the mobile communication base station according to the present invention configured as described above, the horizontal azimuth angle of the antenna beam is adjusted because at least one antenna reflector can be mechanically adjusted left and right. There is an effect that can.

In addition, by incorporating all the components into the radome, the size of the product can be reduced, and an environment-friendly product can be obtained. Furthermore, when the antenna reflector is configured to rotate about the center thereof, the product can be further downsized if the center axis of the antenna reflector matches the center axis of the radome.

In addition, since at least one antenna reflector can be mechanically adjusted to the left and right, in the case of an antenna that can be electrically tilted, even with an antenna constituted by a single row of radiating element arrays, vertical tilting and The horizontal azimuth angle can be adjusted. As a result, there is an effect that a reduction in product size and a reduction in cost can be achieved.
In addition, the antenna beam control apparatus of the mobile communication base station according to the present invention has an effect that the horizontal azimuth angle of the antenna can be controlled by remote control.

Next, a specific example of the best mode for carrying out the antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of an antenna beam control apparatus of a mobile communication base station according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG.
Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, an antenna beam control apparatus of a mobile communication base station according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a rotational force driven by a control signal and a lower cap 101 and an upper cap 102 having a cylindrical shape. A motor box 161 that is a driving means, and a bracket in which a predetermined storage space is formed on the upper and lower sides, and is mounted on the upper surface of the lower cap 101 so that the motor box 161 is received and coupled and fixed in the lower storage space 111, a first bearing 121 inserted into the upper housing space of the bracket 111, a first shaft 131 that is inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the first bearing 121 and rotates by receiving rotational force, and an upper cap 102. The second bearing 122, the second shaft 132 inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the second bearing 122 and rotated by receiving the rotational force, and the first shaft 131 All components that are attached and receive a rotational force from the motor box 161, and are fixedly connected between the first shaft 131 and the second shaft 132, and function as an antenna for receiving and transmitting radio waves. , An antenna reflector 151, a drive control unit 171 that controls driving of the motor box 161 according to a control signal from the outside, and a radome 181 that is connected between the upper cap 102 and the lower cap 101. Consists of

The motor box 161 includes a motor and a reduction gear engaged with each other, and the first gear 141 is connected to a rotating shaft that protrudes from the inside to the outside. At this time, the reduction gear is detachable as necessary.
As a device for fixing the antenna reflector 151, a protrusion having a groove is formed on each of the upper end of the first shaft 131 and the lower end of the second shaft 132, and antenna reflection is provided in the groove of the protrusion. After inserting the upper end and the lower end of the plate 151, the antenna is fixed in the apparatus by being coupled with screws.

In addition, a protrusion is provided at the upper end of the first shaft 131 and the lower end of the second shaft 132, the antenna reflector 151 is attached to one side surface of the protrusion, and a fixing member is attached to the opposite side of the protrusion. May be positioned between the protruding portion and the fixing member, and then the antenna reflector 151 may be fixed by coupling with screws.
The bracket 111 accommodates the motor box 161 and then is fixed to the upper surface of the lower cap 101 by screws.

The accommodation space formed in the center of the upper cap 102 can be replaced with the bracket 111.
Therefore, the motor box 161 can be attached to the upper surface of the lower cap 101 or the bottom surface of the upper cap 102.
The antenna reflector 151 is configured such that the centers of the upper side and the lower side are fixed to the first shaft 131 and the second shaft 132. If it carries out like this, when the antenna reflecting plate 151 rotates, it will rotate centering on a center axis | shaft (center axis) of the antenna reflecting plate 151.

Hereinafter, the operation of the antenna beam control apparatus of the mobile communication base station according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
First, when a high-rise building is added to an adjacent area, a new base station is added, or a radio wave environment such as a temporary increase in call volume changes, the drive control unit 171 is externally installed for optimal cell planning. The left and right rotations of the antenna reflector 151 are controlled by outputting a control signal, that is, a drive voltage, to the motor box 161 according to the control signal.

When the control signal from the drive control unit 171 is input and the motor is driven in the motor box 161, thereby, it engaged rotating shaft to the reduction gear (rotation, shaft) is to rotate deceleration gear while rotating .
As the rotation shaft rotates, the first gear 141 engaged with the rotation shaft rotates, and thereby the second gear 142 engaged with the first gear 141 rotates.

Although the first shaft 131 rotates with the rotation of the second gear 142, the first shaft 131 can be easily rotated by the first bearing 121 of the rotating body.
When the first shaft 131 rotates, the antenna reflecting plate 151 and the second shaft 132 connected to the first shaft 131 rotate in conjunction with each other, thereby enabling the antenna reflecting plate 151 to rotate left and right.
At this time, since the central portion of the antenna reflector 151 is fixed to the first and second shafts 131 and 132, the antenna reflector 151 rotates so that the center of the antenna reflector 151 is the center axis. Become.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, if three of the components of the first embodiment of the present invention are mounted in the radome, they can be used for a three-sector antenna, and if six are mounted, a six-sector antenna is used. Can also be used. By configuring as described above, it is possible to adjust all the horizontal azimuth angles of the beams emitted to each sector.

Meanwhile, an example in which the first gear 141 and the second gear 142 are all configured using a sun gear is disclosed, but as shown in FIG.
A second gear configured in a fan shape, of which the peripheral surface is configured to rotate the inner circumferential surface is being meshing of the outer peripheral surface and the second gear 242 of the form gear teeth first gear 1 41 Can

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications can be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a perspective view which shows the conventional antenna apparatus for mobile communication base stations. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an antenna beam control apparatus of a mobile communication base station according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the antenna beam control apparatus of the mobile communication base station shown in FIG. It is a top view of the antenna beam control apparatus of the mobile communication base station shown in FIG. It is a top view at the time of mounting the component of the desirable Example of this invention 3 each in a radome. FIG. 3 is a detailed view showing a modification example of the second gear of the antenna beam control device of the mobile communication base station shown in FIG. 1 .

Explanation of symbols

101 Lower cap 102 Upper cap 111 Brackets 121, 221 First bearing 122 Second bearing 131 First shaft 132 Second shaft 141 First gear 142, 242 Second gear 151 Antenna reflector 161 Motor box 171 Drive controller 181 281 Radome 211 support pole

Claims (9)

An antenna beam control device for a mobile communication base station,
A lower cap and an upper cap;
A motor box mounted on the lower cap to provide rotational force;
A bracket coupled to the upper surface of the lower cap in a state in which the accommodation space formed on each of the upper side and the lower side is provided, and the motor box is accommodated in the lower accommodation space;
A first bearing inserted into the upper housing space of the bracket;
A first shaft inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the first bearing and rotated by the rotational force of the motor box;
A second bearing mounted on the upper cap;
A second shaft that is inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the second bearing and rotates;
An antenna reflector on which antenna elements for receiving and transmitting radio waves are mounted, the upper end and the lower end of which are fixed and rotated on the first and second shafts, respectively,
A radome connected between the upper cap and the lower cap and housing the motor box, bracket, first bearing, first shaft, second bearing, second shaft and antenna reflector;
Due to the rotation of the first and second shafts, the antenna reflector rotates about the center of the upper and lower sides of the antenna reflector as a central axis ,
The antenna beam control device for a mobile communication base station , wherein the centers of the upper and lower sides of the antenna reflector coincide with the center axis of the radome . A protrusion formed with grooves on each of the upper end of the first shaft and the lower end of the second shaft;
The antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to claim 1, wherein an upper end and a lower end of the antenna reflector are inserted into the groove of the protrusion. 3. The mobile communication base according to claim 2 , wherein the antenna reflector is fixed to the first and second shafts by coupling an upper end and a lower end of the antenna reflector to the protrusion with screws. 4. Station antenna beam control device. A first gear mounted on the motor box;
A second gear mounted on the first shaft;
2. The antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to claim 1, wherein the first and second gears are engaged to transmit the rotational force of the motor box to rotate the first shaft.   5. The antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to claim 4, wherein the first and second gears are all sun gears.   The first gear is a sun gear, and the second gear is fan-shaped, but gear teeth are formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof and engaged with the first gear. Item 5. The antenna beam control device for a mobile communication base station according to Item 4.   3. The antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to claim 1, wherein three antenna reflectors are respectively installed in the radome.   The antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control unit that controls driving of the motor box, wherein the drive control unit is attached to the antenna reflector.   The antenna beam control apparatus for a mobile communication base station according to claim 1, wherein each of the lower cap and the upper cap has a cylindrical shape.

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