The present disclosure relates to a transmission mechanism for a base station antenna, and a base station antenna including the transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism comprises: a worm gear unit, which is arranged on the first side of the reflector of the base station antenna and includes a worm driven by a motor and a worm gear meshed with the worm; a bevel gear pair unit, which is arranged on the second side of the reflection plate opposite to the first side and includes a first bevel gear and a second bevel gear meshed with each other, wherein the first bevel gear and the worm gear are coaxially installed on a first drive shaft; and at least one rack-and-pinion unit arranged on the second side of the reflection plate, wherein each rack-and-pinion unit includes a third gear and a rack element meshed with each other, all the third gears and the second bevel gears of the at least one rack-and-pinion unit are coaxially installed on a second drive shaft, and each rack element is fixed on the connecting rod of the phase shifter of the base station antenna for driving the connecting rod to move longitudinally. The transmission mechanism not only occupies a small total volume, but can also be installed in different spaces dispersedly, so that it can better adapt to the trend that the inner space of the base station antenna is getting smaller and more dispersed.

An example mount may include a strap (or any other type of clamping mechanism) engaging with an external surface of an antenna. The strap may be connected to a strap base with a canted wall also engaging with the external surface of the antenna. The engagement of the canted wall may be through an abutment of the canted wall against the corresponding external surface of the antenna at a single point or along a single line. Because the entirety of the canted wall does not have to be flush with the corresponding external surface of the antenna, the mount can couple to any kind of antenna form factor, such as curved antennas and antennas with imperfections and protrusions.

An antenna alignment apparatus may include magnetic field sensors as an alternative to or in addition to GNSS sensors. The magnetic field sensors may measure the earth's magnetic fields at corresponding locations, and a processor may use the measurements to calculate at least one of a roll, tilt, or azimuth of an antenna. A declination based on GNSS based alignment and magnetic field sensor alignment may be stored for an adjustment of magnetic field sensor based azimuth calculations. For an optical alignment, the antenna alignment apparatus may, additionally or alternately, include a reference object (e.g., a printed mark or a physical stud) located within a field of view of a camera. A location of the reference object may indicate the alignment of the antenna vis-à-vis the structures within the field of view.

A remotely controllable antenna mount for use with a wireless telecommunication antenna provides both mechanical azimuth and mechanical tilt adjustment using AISG compatible motor control units and AISG control and monitoring systems to remotely adjust the physical orientation of the antenna. The mount control units are serially interconnected with existing AISG antenna control units (ACU's) which adjust internal electronic tilt of the antenna. The present solution provides the ability to both physically aim the antenna to adjust coverage area and also adjust the signal phase to fine tune the quality of the signal.

The present disclosure relates to a transmission mechanism for a base station antenna, and a base station antenna including the transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes a motor and at least one connecting rod, wherein a gear mechanism is provided on a first end of the connecting rod, and the motor drives the connecting rod to rotate via the gear mechanism; and wherein a worm gear unit is provided on a second end of the connecting rod opposite to the first end, and the worm gear unit is configured to drive a movable element of a phase shifter when the connecting rod rotates. The transmission mechanism according to the present disclosure can generate greater driving force through the worm gear unit, and has a shorter axial length and a smaller height, and thus is particularly suitable for a more compact and thinner 5G base station antenna.

A microwave prism is used to repoint an operational Direct-to-Home (DTH) or Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) reflector antenna as part of a ground terminal to receive (or transmit) signals from a different satellite or orbital position without physically moving the reflector or the feed horn antenna. The microwave prism operates by shifting the radiated fields from the horn antenna generally perpendicular to the focal axis of the parabolic reflector in order to cause the main beam of the reflector to scan in response. For an existing reflector antenna receiving signals from an incumbent satellite, a prism has been designed to be snapped into place over the feed horn and shift the fields laterally by a calibrated distance. The structure of the prism is designed to be positioned and oriented correctly without the use of skilled labor. This system allows a satellite service provider to repoint their subscribers to a new satellite by shipping a self-install kit of the prism that is pre-configured to have the correct orientation and position on the feed antenna to correctly re-point the beam at a different satellite once the prism is applied. One benefit of the system is that unskilled labor, i.e., the subscribers themselves, can be used to repoint a large number of subscriber antennas in a satellite network rather than requiring the cost of a truck roll and a technician to visit every site. The microwave prisms to implement this functionality can be constructed in different ways, with homogeneous slabs or blocks, Gradient-Index (GRIN), multi-layered dielectric, geometric or graded-index Fresnel-zone, metasurface, or metamaterial prisms. The geometric and electrical constraints of the design are determined by the incumbent and target satellites and the ground terminal location.

An antenna device and an orientation adjustment mechanism are provided. The orientation adjustment mechanism includes a holder, a rotation carrier assembled to the holder, and a torsion spring. The rotation carrier is counterclockwise rotatable from an initial position by a first predetermined angle or is clockwise rotatable from the initial position by a second predetermined angle. The torsion spring has an elastic portion disposed on the holder and two extending arms that extend from the elastic portion. When the rotation carrier is rotated from the initial position by the first predetermined angle or the second predetermined angle, the rotation carrier presses and moves one of the two extending arms, and another one of the two extending arms abuts against the limiting portion, so that the elastic portion is deformed to store an elastic force that tends to move the rotation carrier toward the initial position.

Methods, systems, and devices are described for an antenna positioning apparatus, which includes a multiple-assembly positioner for adjusting a positioning angle about a positioning axis. The multiple-assembly positioner has two or more positioning assemblies that are coupled in series between a base structure and a positioning structure. Positioning assemblies can be individually selected based on various criteria, such as cost, complexity, angular range, and other performance, and be configured to work together to provide a desired range of adjustment to the positioning angle while simultaneously meeting precision requirements. In one example, a positioning assembly can include a shaft with an eccentric portion, which is rotated in order to provide the adjustment. A method is described where a first positioning assembly can be actuated to a first initial position, and then held, such that a second positioning assembly can be actuated to provide a selected antenna positioning angle.

An antenna comprises a main reflector, a waveguide, wherein at least part of the waveguide protrudes towards a region external to the antenna, wherein the antenna is operative to transmit electromagnetic radiations between the waveguide and the main reflector, a mechanism which enables displacement of at least part of the waveguide with respect to the main reflector, and an actuator operative to displace the at least part of the waveguide.

An articulated mechanism is included in an articulated pointing system. The articulated mechanism includes first, second, and third spherical joints, and a first, second, and third lever. The first and second spherical joints are linked by the first lever. The first lever includes a first projecting portion. The first and third spherical joints are linked by the second lever, the second lever including a second projecting portion projecting in an opposite direction of the first projecting portion. The second and third spherical joints are linked by the third lever, such that the longitudinal axes of the first lever and of the second lever are perpendicular. The articulated pointing system includes a basement platform and a mobile platform joined by two articulated hinges. The hinges are moved by actuators. The articulated mechanism has the first lever attached to the mobile platform and the second lever attached to the basement platform.