Related Application

[0001] The present invention claims priority from and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202211188117.8, filed September 28, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in full.

Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology in general. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a wrap-around antenna that can be easily mounted around a support structure.

Background Art

[0003] Wireless operators are using more and more spectrum bands, and more and more spectrum within each spectrum band to adapt to increased user traffic and deploy new radio access technologies. It has been attempted to use macro cell base station antennas that serve large areas to meet these traffic needs.

[0004] Newer trends involve the addition of small-cell base station antennas that are particularly useful in urban areas. Traditionally, small-cell base station antennas may be mounted on a top or side of a support structure (for example, a pole). However, there can be some flaws in such mounting positions. For example, when a small-cell base station antenna is mounted on a top of a support structure, it is often difficult to mount due to a heavy assembly load. In addition, the top of the support structure is usually unavailable due to real estate constraints. It also may be undesirable to mount a small-cell base station antenna on the side of the support structure. On one hand, mounting the small-cell base station antenna on the side of the support structure requires a large number of high altitude operations, and these high altitude operations are neither safe nor easy to implement; on the other hand, mounting the small-cell base station antenna on the side of the support structure may not be aesthetically pleasing, and the support structure may cause interference to some radiated radio frequency (RF) signals, resulting in potential scattering of the RF signals and negative impact on performance of the antenna.

[0005] It would be desirable to provide a wrap-around antenna that can be easily mounted around the support structure, which can not only radiate an expected RF signal out of the support structure, but also be easily mounted in any appropriate position (e.g., the middle position of the support structure) around the support structure.

Summary

[0006] One object of the present disclosure is to overcome at least one drawback in the prior art and realize other additional advantages.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a wrap-around antenna, including: two or more pivotably connected housings, each housing provided with a signal transmission and/or receiving assembly, where an interior space is provided between the two or more housings for a support structure to extend therethrough so that the antenna is capable of being mounted around the support structure; a top mounting assembly disposed on a top of the antenna and including two or more top mounting elements, each top mounting element configured to be fixed to a top of a corresponding housing; and a bottom mounting assembly disposed at a bottom of the antenna and including two or more bottom mounting elements, each bottom mounting element configured to be fixed to a bottom of a corresponding housing; where the two or more top mounting elements of the top mounting assembly are configured to be pivotably connected to one another, and the two or more bottom mounting elements of the bottom mounting assembly are configured to be pivotably connected to one another, thereby achieving a pivotable connection of the two or more housings of the antenna.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each top mounting element includes a body that is generally flat, the body includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end, and the second end of the body is bent into a generally “L” shape such that the second end of the body is at a different height from the first end.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first end and the second end of each top mounting element include a first hole and a second hole, respectively, when the top mounting assembly is assembled, a first end of one top mounting element extends below a second end of another top mounting element, and a first hole of the first end of the top mounting element is aligned with a second hole of the second end of the another top mounting element to enable a pivot element to extend therethrough, thereby achieving a pivotable connection between the various top mounting elements by means of the pivot element.

[00010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each top mounting element further includes one or more overhang portions located between the first end and the second end of the body and extending from one side of the body in a direction perpendicular to the body, and each top mounting element is capable of being fixed on a corresponding housing of the antenna by means of the overhang portion.

[00011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of the two or more top mounting elements includes a lifting portion to facilitate lifting of the antenna, the lifting portion being disposed in a generally intermediate position of the body and extending in a direction perpendicular to the body. [00012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pivot element is composed of a bolt and a nut, and the nut is capable of being tightened to fasten two top mounting elements together to limit their pivoting, and is also capable of being loosened to enable two top mounting elements to pivot relative to each other about the bolt.

[00013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each bottom mounting element includes a body that is generally flat, the body includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end, and the second end of the body is bent into a generally “L” shape such that the second end of the body is at a different height from the first end.

[00014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first end and the second end of each bottom mounting element include a first hole and a second hole, respectively, when the bottom mounting assembly is assembled, a first end of one bottom mounting element extends below a second end of another bottom mounting element, and a first hole of the first end of the bottom mounting element is aligned with a second hole of the second end of the another bottom mounting element to enable a pivot element to extend therethrough, thereby achieving a pivotable connection between the various bottom mounting elements by means of the pivot element.

[00015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each bottom mounting element further includes one or more overhang portions located between the first end and the second end of the body and extending from one side of the body in a direction perpendicular to the body, and each bottom mounting element is capable of being fixed on a corresponding housing of the antenna by means of the overhang portion.

[0001 6] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the pivot element is composed of a bolt and a nut, and the nut is capable of being tightened to fasten two bottom mounting elements together to limit their pivoting, and is also capable of being loosened to enable two bottom mounting elements to pivot relative to each other about the bolt.

[00017] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an end portion of each signal transmission and/or receiving assembly includes at least one or more radio frequency connectors, and the radio frequency connectors extend beyond a bottom of a corresponding housing; where each bottom mounting element further includes one or more notches for accommodating the one or more radio frequency connectors.

[00018] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radio frequency connector is configured as a cluster connector.

[00019] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna includes a primary housing and two secondary housings, where the primary housing is provided with three cluster connectors, the two secondary housings are respectively provided with one cluster connector, and the cluster connector of each secondary housing is connected to a corresponding cluster connector of the primary housing by using a jumper. [00020] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the three cluster connectors of the primary housing are communicatively connected to each other within the primary housing.

[00021] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna further includes a fastening apparatus including a top fastening assembly and a bottom fastening assembly for use with the top mounting assembly and the bottom mounting assembly, respectively.

[00022] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the top fastening assembly includes two or more top fastening supports and top binding elements for binding the two or more top fastening supports to the support structure.

[00023] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each top fastening support includes a first section and a second section that is substantially perpendicular to the first section, such that each top fastening support is generally “L”-shaped, where the first section of each top fastening support is configured to abut against a top mounting element of the top mounting assembly and the second section is configured to abut against the support structure, such that the top binding element is capable of binding each top structure support to the support structure by binding the second section of each top fastening support.

[00024] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the top binding element is configured in a form of a binding band.

[00025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section of each top fastening support includes one or more slots so that each top fastening support is capable of being adjusted along a radial direction to adapt to support structures of different diameters.

[00026] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bottom fastening assembly includes two or more bottom fastening supports and bottom binding elements for binding the two or more bottom fastening supports to the support structure.

[00027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each bottom fastening support includes a first section and a second section that is substantially perpendicular to the first section, such that each bottom fastening support is generally “L”-shaped, where the first section of each bottom fastening support is configured to abut against a bottom mounting element of the bottom mounting assembly and the second section is configured to abut against the support structure, such that the bottom binding element is capable of binding each bottom structure support to the support structure by binding the second section of each bottom fastening support.

[00028] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bottom binding element is configured in a form of a binding band. [00029] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first section of each bottom fastening support includes one or more slots so that each bottom fastening support is capable of being adjusted along a radial direction to adapt to support structures of different diameters.

[00030] It should be noted that various aspects of the present disclosure described for one embodiment may be included in other different embodiments, even though specific description is not made for the other different embodiments. In other words, all the embodiments and/or features of any embodiment may be combined in any manner and/or combination, as long as they are not contradictory to each other.

Brief Description of the Attached Drawings

[00031] A plurality of aspects of the present disclosure will be better understood after reading the following specific embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. Among the attached drawings:

[00032] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wrap-around antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00033] Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram of an antenna column inside a housing of the wrap-around antenna shown in Fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00034] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a top mounting assembly for a wrap-around antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [00035] Figs. 3 and 4 are top and side views respectively of the top mounting assembly shown in Fig. 2;

[00036] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a first top mounting element for forming the top mounting assembly shown in Fig. 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00037] Figs. 6-8 are top, side, and flattened views of the first top mounting element shown in Fig. 5, respectively; [00038] Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a second top mounting element for forming the top mounting assembly shown in Fig. 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00039] Figs. 10-12 are top, side, and flattened views of the second top mounting element shown in Fig. 9, respectively;

[00040] Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a bottom mounting assembly for a wrap-around antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00041] Figs. 14 and 15 are bottom and side views respectively of the bottom mounting assembly shown in Fig. 13;

[00042] Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a first bottom mounting element for forming the bottom mounting assembly shown in Fig. 13 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00043] Figs. 17-19 are bottom, side, and flattened views of the first bottom mounting element shown in Fig. 16, respectively;

[00044] Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a second bottom mounting element for forming the bottom mounting assembly shown in Fig. 13 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00045] Figs. 21-23 are bottom, side, and flattened views of the second bottom mounting element shown in Fig. 20, respectively;

[00046] Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a third bottom mounting element for forming the bottom mounting assembly shown in Fig. 13 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00047] Figs. 25-26 are bottom and flattened views of the third bottom mounting element shown in Fig. 24, respectively;

[00048] Figs. 27 and 28 are bottom views of a bottom of a wrap-around antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which respectively show a cluster connector mounted at the bottom of the wrap-around antenna and a jumper for connecting a corresponding cluster connector;

[00049] Fig. 29 shows a fastening support of a fastening assembly for use with a top mounting assembly and a bottom mounting assembly of a wrap-around antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [00050] Fig. 30 shows a binding element for binding the fastening support shown in Fig. 29 to a support structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[00051] Figs. 31 and 32 show mounting of a wrap-around antenna according to the present disclosure on support structures of different diameters; and

[00052] Figs. 33 to 35 specifically show various steps of mounting a wrap-around antenna according to the present disclosure on a support structure.

[00053] It should be understood that in all the attached drawings, the same symbols denote the same elements. In the attached drawings, for clarity, the size of certain feature is not drawn to scale as it may change.

Detailed Description of Specific Embodiments

[00054] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, and the attached drawings illustrate certain embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the content of the present disclosure more complete and to fully explain the protection scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the examples disclosed in the present disclosure may be combined in various ways so as to provide more additional examples.

[00055] It should be understood that the words in the Specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used in the Specification have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art. For brevity and/or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be further described in detail.

[00056] The singular forms “a”, “an”, “the” and “this” used in the Specification all include plural forms unless clearly indicated. The words “include”, “contain” and “have” used in the Specification indicate the presence of the claimed features, but do not exclude the presence of one or a plurality of other features. The word “and/or” used in the Specification includes any or all combinations of one or a plurality of the related listed items.

[00057] In the Specification, when it is described that an element is “on” another element, “attached” to another element, “connected” to another element, “coupled” with another element, or “in contact with” another element, etc., the element may be directly on another element, attached to another element, connected to another element, coupled with another element, or in contact with another element, or an intermediate element may be present.

[00058] In the Specification, the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. are only used for convenience of description and are not intended for limitation. Any technical features represented by “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. are interchangeable.

[00059] In the Specification, terms expressing spatial relations such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “rear”, “top”, and “bottom” may describe the relation between one feature and another feature in the attached drawings. It should be understood that, in addition to the positions shown in the attached drawings, the words expressing spatial relations further include different positions of a device in use or operation. For example, when a device in the attached drawings is turned upside down, the features originally described as being “below” other features now can be described as being “above” the other features”. The device may also be oriented by other means (rotated by 90 degrees or at other positions), and at this time, a relative spatial relation will be explained accordingly.

[00060] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a wrap-around antenna that can be easily mounted around a support structure (e.g., a pole) at any desired position of the support structure (e.g., a middle position of the pole) to provide various antenna patterns for a communication system. The wrap-around antenna according to the present disclosure may take the form of a macro cell base station antenna or a small-cell base station antenna. The wrap-around antenna according to the present disclosure may include an omni-antenna and a quasi-omni antenna.

[00061] Fig. 1 shows a wrap-around antenna 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The antenna 100 may include two or more housings 101 (e.g., two or more radomes) to seal and protect antenna components from adverse environmental conditions. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the antenna 100 includes three housings 101. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The antenna 100 may alternatively include two, four, or even more housings 101. Each housing 101 may accommodate a signal transmission and/or receiving assembly. For example, each housing 101 may accommodate an antenna column 102 as shown in Fig. 1A, and the antenna column may include an array of one or more radiating elements 103 configured to radiate one or more antenna patterns. In some embodiments, each antenna column 102 may include a plurality of radiating elements 103 that may be arranged in a linear array for transmitting and/or receiving RF signals in a desired frequency band. An end portion of the signal transmission and/or receiving assembly (e.g., the antenna column 102) may include various components, such as one or more of one or more radio frequency (RF) connectors 104, a tilt regulator, a tilt indicator, and other desired components. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the end portion of each signal transmission and/or receiving assembly includes at least one or more radio frequency connectors 104. The various radio frequency connectors 104 may extend beyond the bottom of the housing 101 to facilitate connection of the various radio frequency connectors 104 with jumpers 107, thereby connecting signal transmission and/or receiving assemblies within the various housings 101.

[00062] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, an interior space 105 is provided between two or more housings 101 of the antenna 100 for a support structure 200 to extend therethrough (for example, a pole, as shown in Figs. 29-32), so that the antenna 100 can be mounted around the support structure 200. The two or more housings 101 of the antenna 100 may be configured to be pivotally connected to each other such that at least two of the two or more housings 101 can be pivoted away from each other, thereby forming a side opening 106. The wrap-around antenna 100 may be moved towards the support structure 200 in a manner that the side opening 106 is aligned with the support structure 200 so that at least a portion of the support structure 200 enters the interior space 105 of the antenna 100 via the side opening 106, thereby causing the antenna 100 to surround the support structure 200.

[00063] In order to achieve a pivotable connection of the two or more housings 101 of the antenna 100, in an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the antenna 100 may include a top mounting assembly 110 provided on the top of the antenna 100 and a bottom mounting assembly 120 provided at the bottom of the antenna 100. The top mounting assembly 110 and the bottom mounting assembly 120 may both be configured to include two or more mounting elements, which may be configured to be pivotally connected to each other. The number of mounting elements of the top mounting assembly 110 and the number of mounting elements of the bottom mounting assembly 120 may correspond to (e.g., be equal to or greater than) the number of housings 101 of the antenna 100, so that at least one mounting element can be fixed at the top and bottom of each housing 101. [00064] Figs. 2 to 4 show specific structures of the top mounting assembly 110 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The top mounting assembly 110 may include two or more top mounting elements (e.g., three top mounting elements 111, 112, and 113 shown in Figs. 2-4). Each top mounting element may be fixed on the top of a corresponding housing 101. A first end of each top mounting element may be pivotally connected to a second end of another top mounting element via a pivot element 114 to enable a corresponding housing 101 fixedly connected to each top mounting element to pivot relative to another housing 101, thereby opening and/or closing the side opening 106 of the antenna 100. For ease of manufacture, the two or more top mounting elements of the top mounting assembly 110 may have substantially the same or similar structures, which will be described in detail below.

[00065] Figs. 5 to 8 show specific structures of the first top mounting element 111 of the top mounting assembly 110 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first top mounting element 111 may include a body 1110 that is generally flat. The body 1110 may include a first end 1111 and a second end 1112 opposite to the first end 1111. The second end 1112 of the body 1110 may be bent into a general “L” shape, so that the second end 1112 of the body 1110 is at a different height from the first end 1111 of the body 1110. The first end 1111 and the second end 1112 of the body 1110 may respectively include a first hole 1113 and a second hole 1114 for the pivot element 114 to extend through. The first top mounting element 111 may also include one or more overhang portions 1115 located between the first end 1111 and the second end 1112 of the body 1110 and extending from one side of the body 1110 in a direction perpendicular to the body 1110. The overhang portion 1115 may include a third hole 1116 for a securing component (e.g., a screw) to extend through. When the first top mounting element 111 is mounted onto a corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100, the body 1110 of the first top mounting element 111 may be disposed against the top surface of the housing 101 to set the overhang portion 1115 of the first top mounting element 111 against the vertical side surface of the housing 101, and then the first top mounting element 111 may be fixed on the corresponding housing 101 by using a securing component (for example, a screw) extending through the third hole 1116 of the overhang portion 1115. In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, the first top mounting element 111 may not include the overhang portion 1115. In this embodiment, the first top mounting element 111 may be fixed on the top surface of the corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100 directly through the body 1110 using a securing component (for example, a screw). [00066] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the first top mounting element 111 may be formed from a plate-like piece shown in Fig. 8. The plate may first be formed into the plate as shown in Fig. 8 by an appropriate process (e.g., stamping, casting, or machining), and then the second end 1112 that is generally “L”-shaped and the overhang portion 1115 that extends along a direction perpendicular to the body 1110 are formed by bending or folding corresponding portions of the plate, thereby forming the first top mounting element 111 according to the present disclosure.

[00067] Figs. 9 to 12 show specific structures of the second top mounting element 112 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The second top mounting element 112 may have substantially the same structure as the first top mounting element 111. For example, the second top mounting element 112 may include a body 1120 that is generally flat. The body 1120 may include a first end 1121 and a second end 1122 opposite to the first end 1121. The second end 1122 of body 1120 may be bent into a general “L” shape, so that the second end 1122 of body 1120 is at a different height from the first end 1121 of body 1120. The first end 1121 and the second end 1122 of body 1120 may respectively include a first hole 1123 and a second hole 1124 for the pivot element 114 to extend through. The second top mounting element 112 may also include one or more overhang portions 1125 located between the first end 1121 and the second end 1122 of body 1120 and extending from one side of body 1120 in a direction perpendicular to the body 1120. The overhang portion 1125 may include a third hole 1126 for a securing component (e.g., a screw) to extend through.

[00068] Unlike the first top mounting element 111, the second top mounting element 112 may further include a lifting portion 1127. The lifting portion 1127 is provided in a generally intermediate position of body 1120 and extends in the direction perpendicular to the body 1120 of the second top mounting element 112, for example, extends in the direction perpendicular to the body 1120 of the second top mounting element 112 and opposite to the overhang portion 1125 of the second top mounting element 112. When the second top mounting element 112 is fixed on the top of the corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100, the antenna 100 may be lifted via the lifting portion 1126 to facilitate fixing the antenna 100 on the support structure. The lifting portion 1126 may include a hole 1127 that mates with a lifting element (e.g., a hook) of a lifting device.

[00069] The third top mounting element 113 may have a structure basically the same as or similar to that of the first top mounting element 111 and/or the second top mounting element 112, which will not be described again here. It should be noted that although only the second top mounting element 112 includes the lifting portion in the illustrated embodiment, the lifting portion may also be included in the first top mounting element 111 and/or the third top mounting element 113. In addition, the second top mounting element 112 and the third top mounting element 113 may be formed in substantially the same manner as the first top mounting element 111.

[00070] Returning to Fig. 2, when two or more top mounting elements are assembled into a top mounting assembly 110, the top mounting assembly 110 may form a generally circular structure. A first end of one top mounting element may at least partially coincide with a second end of another top mounting element, and a first hole of the first end of the top mounting element may be aligned with a second hole of the second end of the another top mounting element, such that the pivot element 14 can extend through the top mounting element and the another top mounting element simultaneously so that the top mounting element can pivot about the pivot element 14 relative to the another top mounting element.

[00071] For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the first end 1121 of the second top mounting element 112 can extend below the second end 1112 of the first top mounting element 111, and the first hole 1123 of the first end 1121 of the second top mounting element 112 and the second hole 1114 of the second end 1112 of the first top mounting element 111 are aligned with each other, so that the pivot element 14 can extend through the first hole 1123 of the second top mounting element 112 and the second hole 1114 of the first top mounting element 111. Before the antenna 100 is mounted on the support structure 200, a first end of one of the first top mounting element 111 to the third top mounting element 113 and a second end of another adjacent top mounting element remain as not being extended through by the pivot element 14, so as to form a side opening 106 between the two top mounting elements.

[00072] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the pivot element 14 may comprise bolts and nuts. The bolts may extend through corresponding holes at corresponding ends of each top mounting element, while the nuts may secure together corresponding ends of two pivotally connected top mounting elements. When it is desirable for two or more top mounting elements to be pivotable relative to one another (e.g., prior to securing the antenna 100 on the support structure 200), the nuts may be properly loosened so that the two or more top mounting elements can pivot relative to one another about the bolts; while when it is not desirable for the two or more top mounting elements to be pivotable relative to one another (e.g., after securing the antenna 100 on the support structure 200), corresponding ends of adjacent top mounting elements may be firmly secured together by tightening the nuts to prevent the two or more top mounting elements from pivoting relative to one another.

[00073] Figs. 13 to 15 show specific structures of the bottom mounting assembly 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to the top mounting assembly 110, the bottom mounting assembly 120 may include two or more bottom mounting elements (e.g., three bottom mounting elements 121, 122, and 123 shown in Figs. 13-15). Each bottom mounting element may be respectively fixed to the bottom of a corresponding housing 101. A first end of each bottom mounting element may be pivotally connected to a second end of another bottom mounting element via a pivot element 114 to enable a corresponding housing 101 fixedly connected to each bottom mounting element to pivot relative to another housing 101, thereby opening and/or closing the side opening 106 of the antenna 100. For ease of manufacture, the two or more bottom mounting elements of the bottom mounting assembly 110 may have substantially the same or similar structures.

[00074] Figs. 16 to 19 show specific structures of the first bottom mounting element 121 of the bottom mounting assembly 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first bottom mounting element 121 has a structure similar to that of the first top mounting element 111. For example, the first bottom mounting element 121 may include a body 1210 that is generally flat. The body 1210 may include a first end 1211 and a second end 1212 opposite to the first end 1211. The second end 1212 of the body 1210 may be bent into a general “L” shape, so that the second end 1212 of the body 1210 is at a different height from the first end 1211 of the body 1210. The first end 1211 and the second end 1212 of the body 1210 may respectively include a first hole 1213 and a second hole 1214 for the pivot element 114 to extend through. The first bottom mounting element 121 may also include one or more overhang portions 1215 located between the first end 1211 and the second end 1212 of the body 1210 and extending from one side of the body 1210 in a direction perpendicular to the body 1210. The overhang portion 1215 may include a third hole 1216 for a securing component (e.g., a screw) to extend through. When the first bottom mounting element 121 is mounted onto a corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100, the body 1210 of the first bottom mounting element 121 may be disposed against the bottom surface of the housing 101 to set the overhang portion 1215 of the first bottom mounting element 121 against the vertical side surface of the housing 101, and then the first bottom mounting element 121 may be fixed on the corresponding housing 101 by using a securing component (for example, a screw) extending through the third hole 1216 of the overhang portion 1215. In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, the first bottom mounting element 121 may not include the overhang portion 1215. In this embodiment, the first bottom mounting element 121 may be fixed on the bottom surface of the corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100 directly through the body 1210 using a securing component (for example, a screw).

[00075] Unlike the first top mounting element 111, the first bottom mounting element 121 may further include a notch 1217 for accommodating the radio frequency connector 104. The number of notches 1217 may correspond to the number of radio frequency connectors 104 that the notches 1217 will accommodate. The radio frequency connector 104 may extend through the notch 1217 and protrude from the bottom of the housing 101 of the antenna 100 to facilitate connection (e.g., insertion) of a jumper 107 to the radio frequency connector 104. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 16 to 19, the first bottom mounting element 121 includes only one notch 1217, which is disposed adjacent the second end 1212 of the first bottom mounting element 121.

[00076] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the first bottom mounting element 121 may be formed from a plate-like piece shown in Fig. 19. The plate may first be formed into the plate as shown in Fig. 19 by an appropriate process (e.g., stamping, casting, or machining), and then the second end 1212 that is generally “L”-shaped and the overhang portion 1215 that extends along a direction perpendicular to the body 1210 are formed by bending or folding corresponding portions of the plate, thereby forming the first bottom mounting element 121 according to the present disclosure.

[00077] Figs. 20 to 23 show specific structures of the second bottom mounting element 122 of the bottom mounting assembly 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figs. 24 to 26 show specific structures of the third bottom mounting element 123 of the bottom mounting assembly 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The second bottom mounting element 122 and the third bottom mounting element 123 have substantially the same structure as the first bottom mounting element 121, which will not be repeated herein. Unlike the first bottom mounting element 121, the notch 1227 of the second bottom mounting element 122 is disposed near the first end 1221 of the second bottom mounting element 122, while the third bottom mounting element 123 includes three notches 1237 disposed between the first end 1231 and the second end 1232 of the third bottom mounting element 123. The number and positions of the notches of the various bottom mounting elements 121, 122, and 123 may be adjusted according to the number and positions of the radio frequency connectors 104 provided at the bottom of the various housings 101 of the antenna 100 to better accommodate the radio frequency connectors 104. In addition, the second bottom mounting element 122 and the third bottom mounting element 123 may be formed in substantially the same manner as the first bottom mounting element 121.

[00078] Likewise, two or more bottom mounting elements may be assembled into a bottom mounting assembly 120 and secured to the bottom of the antenna 100 in a manner similar to the assembly of the top mounting assembly 110 described above, which is not repeated herein.

[00079] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, as shown in Figs. 27 and 28, the radio frequency connector 104 may be configured as a cluster connector, such as an M-LOC™ cluster connector developed by CommScope, Inc. The cluster connector can effectively reduce the number of radio frequency connectors 104 used, enabling quick connection between the various radio frequency connectors 104. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figs. 27 and 28, the antenna 100 only includes five radio frequency connectors 104 configured as cluster connectors, of which, three cluster connectors are provided on a primary housing 101 ’ of the antenna 100, and one cluster connector is provided on each of two secondary housings 101” of the antenna 100. The three cluster connectors provided on the primary housing 101 ’ of the antenna 100 may be communicatively connected to each other within the primary housing 101 ’. When the omnidirectional or quasi-omnidirectional antenna 100 is formed, it is only necessary to connect two cluster connectors provided on the primary housing 101 ’ with the cluster connectors provided on the two secondary housings 101” by using jumpers, which can be achieved by simple push and lock operations, thereby greatly saving mounting time. For example, when M-LOC™ cluster connectors are used, only one push and lock operation is required to realize connection of up to five networks, and the mounting time can be reduced by more than 75%.

[00080] The antenna 100 according to the present disclosure may be fixed on the support structure 200 using any appropriate fastening apparatus, for example, various appropriate clamps or other fastening mechanisms may be used to fix the antenna 100 according to the present disclosure on the support structure.

[00081] Fig. 29 and Fig. 30 show a fastening apparatus of the antenna 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The fastening apparatus according to the present disclosure may include a top fastening assembly and a bottom fastening assembly for use with the top mounting assembly 110 and the bottom mounting assembly 120 of the antenna 100, respectively. The top fastening assembly and the bottom fastening assembly may have substantially the same or similar construction, so only the specific construction of the bottom fastening component will be described.

[00082] As shown in Figs. 29 and 30, the bottom fastening assembly 130 may include two or more bottom fastening supports 131 and a bottom binding element 132 for binding the two or more bottom fastening supports 131 to the support structure 200. The number of bottom fastening supports 131 may correspond to the number of bottom mounting elements of the bottom mounting assembly 120, so that each bottom fastening support 131 can be disposed below a corresponding bottom mounting element.

[00083] The bottom fastening support 131 may include a first section 1311 and a second section 1312 that is basically perpendicular to the first section 1311, such that the bottom fastening support 131 is generally “L”-shaped. When in use, the first section 1311 of the bottom fastening support 131 may be provided abutting against the body of the bottom mounting element, while the second section 1312 of the bottom fastening support 131 may be provided abutting against the support structure 200. The first sections 1311 of the two or more bottom fastening supports 131 may be fixed on the body of the bottom mounting element with bolts and nuts, while the second sections 1312 may be bound by the bottom binding element 132, thereby fixing the antenna 100 on the support structure. As shown in Fig. 30, the bottom binding element 132 may be configured in the form of a binding band.

[00084] In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the bottom fastening support 131 may be configured to be adjustably fixed on the body of the bottom mounting element along the radial direction to adapt to support structures of different diameters. Specifically, each bottom fastening support 131 may include one or more slots 1313 for adjusting the radial distance of the bottom fastening support 131 relative to the bottom mounting element and/or support structure 200. When each bottom fastening support 131 is fixed to the body of the bottom mounting element, the fastening element (for example, a bolt) can extend the channel slot 1313 and fix it in place in the slot 1313, thereby adapting to support structures of different diameters. Fig. 31 shows application of the bottom fastening support 131 on a support structure 200 with a large diameter H, while Fig. 32 shows application of the bottom fastening support 131 on a support structure 200 with a small diameter h.

[00085] As described above, the top fastening assembly has substantially the same or similar structure as the bottom fastening assembly 130, which is not repeated herein. It should be noted that all descriptions of the bottom fastening assembly 130 are also applicable to the top fastening assembly.

[00086] Next, referring to Figs. 33 to 35, a process of mounting the antenna 100 according to the present disclosure on the support structure 200 is described. As shown in Fig. 33, first, each top mounting element of the top mounting assembly 110 may be fixed to the top of the corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100, and each bottom mounting element of the bottom mounting assembly 120 may be fixed to the bottom of the corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100, where at least a portion of the two or more top mounting elements of the top mounting assembly 110 are pivotally connected to each other using the pivot element 114 and at least a portion of the two or more bottom mounting elements of the bottom mounting assembly 110 are also pivotally connected to each other using the pivot element 114; second, the antenna 100 mounted with the top mounting assembly 110 and the bottom mounting assembly 120 may be lifted to a predetermined mounting height relative to the support structure 200, and the corresponding housing 101 of the antenna 100 may be pivoted to open the side opening 106 of the antenna 100; third, the side opening 106 is aligned with the support structure 200, the antenna 100 is moved toward the support structure 200 until the support structure 200 is accommodated in the interior space 105 of the antenna 100, in this case, the side opening 106 of the antenna 100 is closed so that the antenna 100 surrounds the support structure 200; finally, the antenna 100 is fixed to the support structure 200 by using a fastening apparatus. After the antenna 100 is fixed on the support structure 200, a jumper 107 may be used to connect the radio frequency connector 104 provided on the various housings 101.

[00087] When the fastening apparatus is a fastening apparatus including a top fastening assembly and a bottom fastening assembly shown according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a first section of each top fastening support of the top fastening assembly and a first section of each bottom fastening support of the bottom fastening assembly of the fastening apparatus may be fixed on the body of the corresponding top mounting element of the top mounting assembly and the body of the corresponding bottom mounting element of the bottom mounting assembly respectively before the antenna 100 is lifted, and second sections of all the top fastening supports of the top fastening assembly and second sections of all the bottom fastening supports of the bottom fastening assembly are bound to the support structure 200 by using the top binding element and the bottom binding element respectively after the antenna 100 is moved to wrap around the support structure 200, thereby fixing the antenna 100 to the support structure 200.

[00088] When the top fastening support and the bottom fastening support include slots for adjusting radial distances, the radial distances of both relative to the support structure 200 may be adjusted before the top fastening support and the bottom fastening support are bound to adapt to support structure 200 of different diameters. This improves, to a certain extent, the ability of the antenna 100 of the present disclosure to adapt to support structure 200 of different diameters.

[00089] Exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings. However, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the gist and scope of the present disclosure. All changes and modifications are included in the protection scope of the present disclosure defined by the claims. The present disclosure is defined by the attached claims, and equivalents of these claims are also included.