Patent Publication Number: US-11024978-B2

Title: Antenna

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the field of antennas and, in particular, to an antenna. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An antenna includes an antenna radiating sheet, a coupling feeding branch coupled with the antenna radiating sheet, a feeding network board connected to the coupling feeding branch, and a plastic bracket installed on a side surface of the feeding network board and used for mounting the antenna radiating sheet and the coupling feeding branch. The antenna in the related art has a complicated structure, is difficult to assemble, and has a high cost. 
     Therefore, it is necessary to provide an antenna that has a simple structure, low cost, and high reliability and is easily assembled. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention provides an antenna having a simple structure, low cost, and high reliability and is easily assembled. 
     An antenna is provided. The antenna includes an antenna body including a plastic bracket, an antenna radiating sheet provided on a top of the plastic bracket, and a coupling feeding branch provided at a side portion of the plastic bracket; a feeding network board screw-connected to the antenna body and provided with a feeding network; and a feeding network board screw-connected to the antenna body and provided with a feeding network. The plastic bracket is formed into one piece, and the antenna radiating sheet and the coupling feeding branch are spaced apart from and coupled with each other. 
     As an improvement, the plastic bracket comprises a first plate body and a supporting frame connected to a bottom of the first plate body. The supporting frame includes a connecting post having one end connected to the bottom of the first plate body and another end connected to the feeding network board, and a plurality of connecting plates. Each of the plurality of connecting plates has one side connected to the bottom of the first plate body and another side adjacent to the one side connected to a peripheral surface of the connecting post, and the first plate body, the connecting post and the plurality of connecting plates are formed into one piece. The antenna radiating sheet is provided on a top surface of the first plate body, the coupling feeding branch is provided on a side surface of one of the plurality of connecting plates, and the connecting post and the feeding network board are connected by a screw. 
     As an improvement, the connecting post is in contact with the feeding network board, an end surface of the connecting post facing away from the first plate body is recessed towards the first plate body to form a first connecting hole, the feeding network board is provided with a second connecting hole, and the screw is inserted into the second connecting hole and the first connecting hole sequentially to hook the feeding network board and the connecting post. 
     As an improvement, the first connecting hole is a threaded hole. 
     As an embodiment, the plurality of the connecting plates is equally distributed along a circumferential direction of the connecting post. 
     As an improvement, the antenna radiating sheet is formed on the first plate body by laser direct structuring, and the coupling feeding branch is formed on the one of the plurality of connecting plates by the laser direct structuring. 
     As an improvement, each of the plurality of connecting plates is spaced apart from the feeding network, the feeding spring pin comprises a connecting tab and two clamping tabs respectively extending in a same direction from two side portions of the connecting tab, the connecting tab is in contact with the feeding network, and the two clamping tabs clamp the connecting plate and the coupling feeding branch therebetween. 
     As an improvement, the connecting tab and the feeding network are welded to each other. 
     As an improvement, the clamping tab comprises a first tab body, a second tab body connected to an end of the first tab body, and a curved tab body connecting another end of the first tab body with an end of the connecting tab, the first tab body extends obliquely from the curved tab body towards the clamping tab located at an opposite side, and the second tab body extends obliquely from the first tab body along a direction facing away from the clamping tab located at the opposite side. 
     As an improvement, the feeding network is a differential feeding network. 
     The plastic bracket is formed into one piece to realize a good consistency, the plastic bracket and the feeding network board are screw-connected to each other to realize a high reliability, and the coupling feeding branch is connected to the feeding network by the feeding spring pin, making it easy to assemble without welding. The antenna has a simple overall structure, low cost, small size, and can be used for 5G large-scale antenna array deployment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the exemplary embodiment can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an antenna; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an antenna radiating sheet, a coupling feeding branch, a feeding spring pin, and a screw of an antenna; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of a plastic bracket of an antenna; and 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a feeding spring pin of an antenna. 
     
    
    
     In the drawing: 
       100 , antenna;  1 , plastic bracket;  21 , feeding network board;  22 , feeding network;  3 , screw  4 , antenna radiating sheet;  5 , coupling feeding branch;  6 , feeding spring pin;  11 , first plate body;  12 , supporting frame;  121 , connecting post;  122 , connecting plate;  101 , first connecting hole;  61 , connecting tab;  62 , clamping tab;  621 , first tab body;  622 , second tab body;  623 , curved tab body. 
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompany drawings and embodiments. 
     An antenna  100  is provided. Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3 , the antenna  100  includes an antenna body (not marked in the drawing) and a feeding network board  21  screw-connected to the antenna body, and the feeding network board  21  is provided with a feeding network  22 . The antenna body includes a plastic bracket  1 , an antenna radiating sheet  4  provided on a top of the plastic bracket  1 , and a coupling feeding branch  5  provided on a side portion of the plastic bracket  1 . The plastic bracket  1  is formed into one piece. The antenna radiating sheet  4  and the coupling feeding branch  5  are coupled with each other. The antenna  100  further includes a feeding spring pin connecting the coupling feeding branch  5  with the feeding network  22 . 
     The plastic bracket  1  is formed into one piece to achieve a good consistency, the plastic bracket  1  and the feeding network board  21  are hooked by a screw  3  to achieve a high reliability, and the coupling feeding branch  5  is connected to the feeding network board  21  by a feeding spring pin  6 , which is easy to assemble without welding. Thus, the antenna  100  has a simple overall structure, low cost, and a small size, and can be used for 5G large-scale antenna array deployment. 
     In an embodiment, the plastic bracket  1  includes a first plate body  11  and a supporting frame  12  connected to a bottom of the first plate body  11 , the supporting frame  12  includes a connecting post  121  having one end connected to the bottom of the first plate body  11  and another end connected to the feeding network board  21 , and a plurality of connecting plates  122 . Each connecting plate  122  has one side connected to the bottom of the first plate body  11  and another side adjacent to the one side and connected to a peripheral surface of the connecting post  121 . The first plate body  11 , the connecting post  121  and the connecting plate  122  are formed into one piece. 
     The antenna radiating sheet  4  is provided on a top surface of the first plate body  11 , and the coupling feeding branch  5  is provided on a side surface of the connecting plate  122 . 
     The connecting post  121  and the feeding network board  21  are connected by the screw  3 . 
     The connecting post  121  and the plurality of the connecting plates  122  support the first plate body  11  together, and the overall structure is stable. Connection between the antenna radiating sheet  4 , the coupling feeding branch  5  and the plastic bracket  1  facilitates the coupling between the antenna radiating sheet  4  and the coupling feeding branch  5 . 
     In an embodiment, the connecting post  121  is in contact with the feeding network board  21 , an end surface of the connecting post  121  facing away from the first plate body  11  is recessed towards the first plate body  11  to form a first connecting hole  101 , the feeding network board  21  is provided with a second connecting hole (not marked in the drawing), and the screw  3  sequentially passes through the second connecting hole and the first connecting hole  101  to hook the feeding network board  21  and the connecting post  121 . 
     The screw  3  passes through the feeding network board  21  from a bottom of the feeding network board  21  and is connected to the connecting post  121 , such that the screw  3  has good concealment, occupies less space, and has high connection strength. In an embodiment, the first connecting hole  101  is a threaded hole. 
     In an embodiment, the plurality of the connecting plates  122  are equally distributed along a circumference of the connecting post  121 , to improve overall stability of the plastic bracket  1 . 
     In an embodiment, the antenna radiating sheet  4  is formed on the first plate body  11  by laser direct structuring (LDS), and the coupling feeding branch  5  is formed on the connecting plate  122  by laser direct structuring (LDS). In this way, the antenna radiating sheet  4  can be more stably mounted on the first plate body  11 , and the coupling feeding branch  5  can be more stably mounted on the connecting plate  122 . 
     In an embodiment, the connecting plate  122  is spaced apart from the feeding network  22 , the feeding spring pin  6  includes a connecting tab  61  and two clamping tabs  62 . Two clamping tabs  62  respectively extend in a same direction from two side portions of the connecting tab  61 , the connecting tab  61  is in contact with the feeding network  22 , and the two clamping tabs  62  clamp the connecting plate  122  and the coupling feeding branch  5  therebetween. 
     The feeding spring pin  6  serves to electrically connect the coupling feeding branch  5  with the feeding network  22 , also plays a certain role in supporting the connecting plate  122  and facilitates an overall structure design of the coupling feeding branch  5 . 
     In an embodiment, the connecting tab  61  is welded to the feeding network  22 . In this way, the feeding spring pin  6  and the feeding network  22  is in contact with each other stably, such that the connection between the coupling feeding branch  5  and the feeding network  22  is stable. 
     In an embodiment, referring to  FIG. 4 , the clamping tab  62  includes a first tab body  621 , a second tab body  622  connected to an end of the first tab body  621 , and a curved tab body  623  connecting another end of the first tab body  621  with an end of the connecting tab  61 , the first tab body  621  extends obliquely from the curved tab body  623  towards the clamping tab  62  located at an opposite side, and the second tab body  622  extends obliquely from the first tab body  621  along a direction facing away from the clamping tab  62  located at the opposite side. 
     The first tab bodies  621  at two opposite sides gradually approach, to improve a clamping effect of the two clamping tabs  62 , and the two second tab bodies  622  are gradually away from each other, to facilitate the feeding spring pin  6  being clamped outside the connecting plate  122  and the coupling feeding branch  5 . 
     In an embodiment, the feeding network  22  is a differential feeding network. 
     The antenna  100  provided by the present invention, the plastic bracket  1  is formed into one piece to achieve a good consistency, the plastic bracket  1  and the feeding network board  21  are fixed to each other by the screw  3  to achieve a high reliability, and the coupling feeding branch  5  is connected to the feeding network  22  by the feeding spring pin  6 , making it easy to assemble without welding, so the overall structure is simple, the cost is low, the size is small, and it can be used for 5G large-scale antenna array deployment. 
     It should be noted that, the above are merely embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, however, these improvements shall belong to the protection scope of the present invention.