ANTENNA ARRANGEMENT FOR A MOBILE RADIO BASE STATION (As amended)

• US 20100182213A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Kathrein-Werke KG. (Kathrein SE)
• Inventors: Saddington, Stephen John, Riedel, Matthias, Obermaier, Johann
• Granted Patent: US 8,350,775 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/817
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/108 Combination of a dipole with a plane reflecting surface H01Q19/106 takes precedence; strip line H01Q9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/062 using dipole aerials; H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/26 Turnstile or like antennas comprising arrangements of three or more elongated elements disposed radially and symmetrically in a horizontal plane about a common centre

Abstract

An improved antenna arrangement includes a reflector arrangement comprising a printed circuit board with an electrically conductive ground plane. The reflector arrangement also has a reflector frame with a coupling surface. The coupling surface is capacitively coupled to the ground plane. The coupling surface has a recess via which the ground plane, which is located underneath it, and/or the printed circuit board or an isolating intermediate layer which is provided above the ground plane or an isolating intermediate layer which is provided above the printed circuit board is exposed. The at least one antenna element arrangement is positioned and/or held on the printed circuit board in the area of the recess.

Claims

1. An antenna arrangement, comprising:

at least one radiator assembly, which comprises a dipole array having a supporting mechanism,

a reflector arrangement, comprising an electrically conductive reflector surface, and at least one electrically conductive longitudinal web or at least one electrically conductive transverse web,

the reflector arrangement comprising a printed circuit board comprising a side on which an electrically conductive ground plane is provided,

the reflector arrangement also comprising a reflector frame,

the reflector frame comprising a coupling surface that runs parallel to the printed circuit board and/or the ground plane,

the coupling surface being capacitively coupled to the ground plane,

the coupling surface being mechanically and electrically-galvanically connected to the at least one longitudinal web or to the at least one transverse web;

the coupling surface comprising a recess via which the ground plane, which is located underneath it, the printed circuit board or an insulating layer, which is provided above the ground plane or above the printed circuit board, is exposed, and

the at least one radiator assembly is positioned and/or held on the printed circuit board in the region of the recess.

2. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector frame comprises at least two longitudinal webs and/or at least two transverse webs.

3. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one longitudinal web and/or the at least one transverse web is constructed with the coupling surface as a one-piece metal part.

4. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one longitudinal web and/or the at least one transverse web is bent on a bending line with respect to the coupling surface in different angular direction with respect to the coupling surface.

5. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector frame consists of a cast part, deep-drawn part, punched part and/or a milled part.

6. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector or reflector frame is made from an insulating material or plastics material and is covered with an electrically conductive layer.

7. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector frame is connected to the printed circuit board by mechanical connecting means.

8. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the reflector frame is securely connected to the printed circuit board by means of a clip and/or latching and/or snap-fit mechanism.

9. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector frame is glued to the printed circuit board.

10. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector frame is securely connected to the printed circuit board by using a double-sided adhesive tape and/or a double-sided adhesive film or the like.

11. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the adhesive tape or adhesive film has a recess, of which the size and/or position matches at least the size and/or position of a corresponding recess, or is smaller.

12. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the adhesive tape or adhesive film is provided between the underside of the coupling surface and the ground plane or an insulating layer that covers the ground plane and furthermore in the region of the recess in the coupling surface.

13. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 12, wherein the adhesive tape or the adhesive film is provided on the printed circuit board between the underside of the coupling surface and the ground plane or an insulating layer that covers the ground plane and furthermore in the region of the recess and in the region between the base of the supporting mechanism and/or balancing means of the radiator assembly and the ground plane.

14. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiator assembly is capacitively coupled to the ground plane on the printed circuit board.

15. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein the radiator assembly is capacitively coupled by its associated base of a supporting mechanism and/or balancing means to the ground plane on the printed circuit board.

16. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radiator assembly is d.c.-, i.e. galvanically, connected to the ground plane on the printed circuit board.

17. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 16, wherein the radiator assembly is d.c.-, i.e. galvanically, connected by its base of a supporting and/or balancing mechanism to the ground plane on the printed circuit board.

18. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reflector frame is produced from a metal sheet by punching and canting or bending.

19. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 18, wherein the transverse webs are punched from a common sheet metal part and are securely connected to the coupling surface via a respectively associated bending line.

20. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 18, wherein the longitudinal webs are connected to the coupling surface via a bending line.

21. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 18, wherein at their lateral limiting edges the transverse webs are provided with lugs and/or tongues that laterally protrude in the plane of the lateral webs and which in the assembled state project into recesses in the longitudinal webs with orientation of the transverse webs pointing away from the reflector surface.

22. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 21, wherein in the assembled state the lugs and/or tongues project into slotted recesses in the longitudinal webs.

23. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein one radiator device per recess is arranged in a coupling surface.

24. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting mechanism of the dipole array comprises a balancing means.

25. The antenna arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one radiator device consists of a dual-polarized dipole array by using a supporting mechanism.