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CN-111403892-B - End plate assembly for base station antenna, manufacturing method thereof and base station antenna

CN111403892BCN 111403892 BCN111403892 BCN 111403892BCN-111403892-B

Abstract

A header assembly for a base station antenna includes a header configured to close an end opening of a radome of the base station antenna and including an outer first side and an inner second side opposite the first side, and a mounting bracket mounted on the first side of the header and configured to support the base station antenna on a foundation. The end plate is constructed of a unitary dielectric molded part having a first through hole machined therein. The end plate assembly comprises a first fitting having a planar section which rests in a planar manner on the second side of the end plate, and a first connecting element which passes through the first through-hole of the end plate and secures the mounting bracket on the first side of the end plate and presses the planar section against the second side of the end plate. Thus, the base station antenna performance can be improved with inexpensive and simple measures.

Inventors

  • AI BIN

Assignees

  • 康普技术有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20190103

Claims (20)

  1. 1. An end plate assembly for a base station antenna, the end plate assembly comprising: An end plate (1), the end plate (1) being configured for closing and being fixed in an end opening of a radome (101) of a base station antenna (100), the end plate (1) comprising an outer first side (11) and an inner second side (12) opposite to the first side; it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of, The end plate (1) is formed by a unitary dielectric molded part, the end plate (1) having a first through hole (13) machined in the molded part, and The end plate assembly comprises a first fitting (3) and a first connecting element (4), the first fitting (3) has a first planar section (21), the first planar section (21) is configured for planar abutment against a second side (12) of the end plate (1), the first connecting element (4) is configured for passing through a first through hole (13) of the end plate (1) and connecting the first planar section (21) of the first fitting (3) with a mounting bracket (2) configured for supporting the base station antenna (100) on a foundation, such that the first planar section (21) of the first fitting (3) is pressed against the second side (12) of the end plate (1) and the mounting bracket (2) is fixed on the first side (11) of the end plate (1), and the first fitting (3) has a first connecting section (22), the first connecting section (22) is configured for fixing the end plate assembly in the end opening of the antenna housing (101).
  2. 2. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that the first fitting (3) is configured in an L-shape, wherein the first planar section (21) and the first connection section (22) are each configured as one of the two arms of the L-shape.
  3. 3. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first fitting (3) is a metal part or a glass fiber reinforced plastic part.
  4. 4. An end plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 3, characterized in that the first fitting (3) is an aluminium plate stamped part or a cast aluminium part.
  5. 5. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end plate (1) is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic.
  6. 6. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end plate (1) has a bottom (14) and a peripheral wall (15).
  7. 7. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 6, characterized in that the peripheral wall (15) has a notch (16), in which notch (16) a first connection section (22) of the first fitting (3) is arranged.
  8. 8. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end plate assembly comprises the mounting bracket (2).
  9. 9. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mounting bracket (2) is made of metal, ceramic or glass fiber reinforced plastic.
  10. 10. An end plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first connection element is a screw.
  11. 11. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 10, characterized in that the first planar section of the first fitting (3) has a through hole, the mounting bracket (2) has an internally threaded hole, the screw being configured for passing through the through hole of the first fitting (3) and the first through hole (13) of the end plate (1) and engaging with the internal thread of the hole of the mounting bracket.
  12. 12. The end plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end plate (1) has a second through hole (17) machined in the molded part, the second through hole (17) being configured for receiving an electrical connector (6).
  13. 13. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises the electrical connector (6) accommodated in the second through hole (17).
  14. 14. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 12, characterized in that the end plate (1) has a third through hole (18) machined in the molded part adjacent to the second through hole (17), the third through hole (18) being configured for receiving a second connection element (7) for an electrical connector (6).
  15. 15. The end plate assembly for a base station antenna of claim 14, wherein the second connection element is a screw.
  16. 16. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 14, characterized in that the electrical connector (6) comprises a flange (23), which flange (23) is configured for resting on the second side (12) of the end plate (1) and being fixed on the second side (12) of the end plate (1) by means of the second connection element (7).
  17. 17. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 12, characterized in that the electrical connector (6) is a 4.3-10 connector.
  18. 18. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 12, characterized in that the electrical connector (6) is an AISG connector.
  19. 19. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end plate (1) has a fourth through hole (19) machined in the molded part, which fourth through hole (19) is configured for receiving a third connection element (8) for fixing the reflector (103) on the second side (12) of the end plate (1).
  20. 20. End plate assembly for a base station antenna according to claim 19, characterized in that the end plate assembly comprises a second fitting (9), the second fitting (9) having a second planar section (24), the second planar section (24) of the second fitting (9) being configured for planar abutment against the second side (12) of the end plate (1), the third connecting element (8) being configured for passing through the fourth aperture (19) and securing the second planar section (24) of the second fitting (9) on the second side (12) of the end plate (1), and the second fitting (9) having a second connecting section (25) for connection with the reflector (103).

Description

End plate assembly for base station antenna, manufacturing method thereof and base station antenna Technical Field The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to a base station antenna, particularly a small cell, and an end plate assembly for a base station antenna and a method of manufacturing the same. Background In a mobile communication network comprising a large number of base stations, each base station may comprise one or more base station antennas for receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals. A single base station antenna may include many radiator assemblies, also referred to as antenna elements or radiating elements. Mobile telephone operators currently require base station antennas that operate in two, three or more frequency bands, while mobile telephone operators maintain stringent limits on the size of the base station antennas. Therefore, in terms of base station antenna design, not only the requirements of mobile phone operators for functions, but also the requirements of the mobile phone operators for size are met, and challenges are getting larger and larger. The small base station (SMALL CELL) or small base station antenna generally has a cylindrical shape to provide omni-directional coverage in the azimuth plane. These small base stations typically have a cylindrical radome with an open bottom end and the small base station or antenna or other parts of the antenna assembly are mounted on a metallic end plate. The radome encloses the antenna assembly and the metallic end plate closes the end of the open bottom of the radome. The mounting brackets may be secured to the outer surface of the end plate and may be used to secure the small base station to a foundation such as a utility pole, antenna tower, building or the like. Since the end plates structurally support the antenna assembly, the end plates are made of metal to provide a high level of strength and rigidity. However, particularly in the 5G communications era, antenna elements can be very sensitive. Large area metal end plates may have a negative impact on the performance of the base station antenna, e.g., in terms of Passive Intermodulation (PIM), return loss, and insulation performance. In PCT application WO2017/165512A1 a base station antenna is described comprising an end cap connected to a radome, the end cap being made of glass fibre reinforced plastic. In this case, the base station antenna is mounted on the base by its radome, and the end cap has no structural support function. In addition, molded end caps have a through hole arrangement for an electrical connector (e.g., a radio frequency port) that has been established at the time of molding, which is an uneconomical solution since such end caps can only be adapted to one specific base station antenna. Disclosure of Invention The object of the present invention is to propose a header assembly for a base station antenna, a method for the production thereof and a base station antenna comprising such a header assembly, wherein the header assembly can be used flexibly in different base station antennas and an improvement of the base station antenna performance, in particular in terms of passive intermodulation, return loss and insulation performance, can be achieved. According to a first aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by an end plate assembly for a base station antenna, the end plate assembly comprising: An end plate configured for closing and being secured in an end opening of a radome of a base station antenna, the end plate comprising an outer first side and an inner second side opposite the first side; The end plate is formed of a unitary dielectric molded part having a first through hole machined therein, and The end plate assembly comprises a first fitting having a planar section configured for planar abutment against the second side of the end plate and a first connection element configured for passing through a first through hole of the end plate and connecting the planar section of the first fitting with a mounting bracket configured for supporting the base station antenna on a foundation such that the planar section of the first fitting is pressed against the second side of the end plate and the mounting bracket is fixed on the first side of the end plate. Here, the end plate made of a dielectric material has less adverse effect on the base station antenna performance than the metal end plate, and thus the base station antenna performance is better. At the same time, the end plate can be widely applied to different base station antennas and is therefore cheaper. In some embodiments, the first fitting may have a connection section configured for securing an end plate assembly in the end opening of the radome. In some embodiments, the first fitting may be configured in an L-shape, wherein the planar section and the connecting section are each configured as one of the two arms of the L