BACKGROUND
Antennas for wireless voice and/or data communications typically include an array of radiating elements connected by one or more feed networks. For efficient transmission and reception of Radio Frequency (RF) signals, the dimensions of radiating elements are typically matched to the wavelength of the intended band of operation. Because the wavelength of the GSM 900 band (e.g., 880-960 MHz) is longer than the wavelength of the GSM 1800 band (e.g., 1710-1880 MHz), the radiating elements for one band are typically not used for the other band. Radiating elements may also be dimensioned for operation over wider bands, e.g., a low band of 698-960 MHz and a high band of 1710-2700 MHz. In this regard, dual band antennas have been developed which include different radiating elements for each of the two bands. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,028, U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,720, U.S. Pat. No. 7,238,101 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,405,710, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
Additionally, base station antennas (BSA) with +/−45 degree slant polarizations are widely used for wireless communications. Two polarizations are used to overcome of multipath fading by polarization diversity reception. The vast majority of BSA have +/−45 degree slant polarizations. Examples of prior art can be crossed dipole antenna element U.S. Pat. No. 7,053,852, or dipole square (“box dipole”), U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,407 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,809, having 4 to 8 dipole arms. Each of these patents are incorporated by reference. The +/−45 degree slant polarization is often desirable on multiband antennas.
In known multiband antennas, the radiating elements of the different bands of elements are combined on a single panel. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,283,101, FIG. 12; U.S. Pat. No. 7,405,710, FIG. 1, FIG. 7. In these known dual-band antennas, the radiating elements are typically aligned along a single axis. This is done to minimize any increase in the width of the antenna when going from a single band to a dual band antenna. Low-band elements are the largest elements, and typically require the most physical space on a panel antenna.
While +/−45 degree slant polarization is often desired, there are difficulties with using known validating elements to make a compact ±45 degree polarized antenna. Known crossed dipole-type elements, for example, are known to have undesirable coupling with crossed-dipole elements of another band situated on the same antenna panel. This is due, at least in part, to the orientation of the dipoles at ±45 degree to the vertical axis of the panel antenna.
The radiating elements may be spaced further apart to reduce coupling, but this would increase the size of the multiband antenna and produce grating lobes. An increase in panel antenna size may have several undesirable drawbacks. For example, a wider antenna may not fit in an existing location or, if it may physically be mounted to an existing tower, the tower may not have been designed to accommodate the extra wind loading of a wider antenna. Also, zoning regulations can prevent of using bigger antennas in some areas.
An object of the present invention is to create more compact +/−45 degree polarized antenna. Another object is to reduce the cost of base station antennas. Size and cost reduction of base station antennas (BSA) is vital for wireless communication systems.
SUMMARY
A dual polarized base station antenna is provided. According to one aspect, the base station antenna includes a reflector having a longitudinal axis and an array of tri-pole elements disposed on the reflector. Each tri-pole element has a first side arm and a second side arm. The tri-pole element also includes a center arm which is approximately perpendicular to the first and second side arms. The tri-pole elements are oriented such that either the side arms or the center arm are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the reflector. The antenna further includes a feed network having a first signal path coupled to the first side arms of the tri-pole elements and a second signal path coupled to the second side arms of the tri-pole elements. In this example, the array of tri-pole elements produces a cross-polarized beam at +45 degrees and −45 degrees from the longitudinal axis.
The array of tri-pole elements may include a first set of tri-pole elements offset to the left with respect to the longitudinal axis and a second set of tri-pole elements offset to the right with respect to the longitudinal axis. The array of tri-pole elements may also include a combination of elements facing up and elements facing to the side.
In another embodiment a multiband antenna is provided. Due to the compact nature of the array of tri-pole elements, an additional array (or arrays) of radiating elements may be included to provide separately controlled sub-bands and/or multi-band operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention based on coaxial lines.
FIG. 2 illustrates the electromagnetic fields produced by a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another example of a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention based on a flat pattern.
FIG. 4 is a side view of a tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 illustrates components of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 illustrates additional components of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another example of a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 8
a illustrates components of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 7.
FIG. 8
b illustrates additional components of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9
a is a perspective view of another example of a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 9
b illustrates components of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 9.
FIG. 10
a is a perspective view of another example of a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 10
b is a central component of the example of FIG. 10a.
FIG. 10
c illustrates side components of the example of FIG. 10a.
FIG. 11
a is a perspective view of another example of a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 11
b illustrates components of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 11a.
FIG. 12 illustrated an alternate stamping pattern for forming a tri-pole element according to the example of FIG. 11a.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another example of a tri-pole radiating element according to one aspect of the present invention assembled with a director.
FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the tri-pole radiating element of FIG. 13.
FIG. 15 is a radiation pattern of an antenna array according to one example of the present invention.
FIG. 16 is an example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 18 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 19 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 21 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 22 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 23 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 24 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 25 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 26 is another example of base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 27 is an example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 28 is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 29
a is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 29
b is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 30 is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 31 is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 32 is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
FIG. 33 is another example of a multiband base station antenna including tri-pole elements according to one aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a ti-pole radiating element 10 has three arms: two side arms 11, 12 and central arm 13. The length of each arm is about one quarter wavelength of the operating frequency band. Side arms 11, 12 are connected to the central conductor of coaxial feeds 16, 17, respectively. Central arm 13 is connected to outer conductor of coaxial lines 16 and 17.
The outer conductors of coaxial lines 16 and 17 are connected to a reflector 20. The reflector is spaced about one quarter-wave length distance from side arms 11, 12 and central arm 13 to prevent currents on outer surface of the coaxial lines 16 and 17 (balun), so lines 16 and 17 are invisible for radiation field. In one embodiment, the three arms 11, 12 and 13 define a plane which is parallel to the plane of the reflector. In alternate embodiments, the side arms 11, 12 and central arm 13 may be tilted up or down with respect to the plane of the reflector for beamwidth and/or cross-polarization adjustment.
Input impedance of tri-pole radiating element 10 is close to 50 Ohm for both polarizations, so common 50 Ohm cables may be used.
A tri-pole radiating element may be considered as a combination of 2 dipoles with arms bent by 90 degrees. Referring to FIG. 2, an equivalent diagram shows currents on the arms and polarization vectors of radiation field (+45 and −45 slant polarizations). It is important to note that the +45 degree slant and −45 degree slant are with respect to side arms 11 and 12. Thus, side arms 11 and 12 may be oriented horizontally or vertically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the reflector to achieve ±45 degree polarization. This is in contrast to a conventional dipole, where the radiated field is at zero degrees slant from the dipole, and dipoles must be oriented at ±45 degrees from vertical to achieve ±45 degree slant polarization. This feature of the tri-pole is important for multiband array applications, where radiators of different bands are confined in the same aperture.
Advantages of tri-pole include symmetry of pattern, compactness, easy feed and low cost. Lower cost is achieved because only 3 arms are used. In contrast, prior art dual polarized dipoles may have 4 to 8 arms. A tri-pole radiating element provides radiation with two orthogonal polarizations, so high port-to-port isolation can be achieved (25-30 dB). A tri-pole radiating element has the same beamwidth for E and H field components.
Additionally, the tri-pole radiating element is physically smaller than a conventional cross dipole or patch radiator. For example, the width of tri-pole is about 0.25 wavelength, or 30-50% less than existing dual-polarized radiators (0.35 wavelength for cross-dipole, 0.5 wavelength for patch radiator). Compactness is important for many antenna applications.
In the example of FIG. 1, a coaxial cable is used to feed the tri-pole radiating element. However, other types of feed lines (microstrip line, strip line, coplanar line) may be used for feeding tri-pole. For example, in FIGS. 3 and 4, two microstrip lines 30, 32 with air dielectric and common ground conductor 34 are used as +45 degree and −45 degree feeds. Side arms 11a and 12a and central arm 13a, are formed integrally with the feed structure. For example, side arm 11a may be stamped from the same sheet of metal as microstrip 30, side awl 12a may be stamped from the same sheet of metal as microstrip 32, and central arm 13 may be stamped from the same sheet of metal as ground conductor 34. Alternatively, dielectric substrates may be used to form microstrip lines. Balanced lines (when strip conductor has about the same width as ground conductor) may also be used. The ground conductor 34 for microstrip lines may be common (as shown) or separated. Depending on the tri-pole height (usually about one-quarter wavelength), arm shape, reflector size and ridges height, 3 dB beamwidth may vary from 60 to 95 degrees. Ridges 22 may be added. Ridge height may vary from zero to one-quarter wavelength.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the elements of the tri-pole radiating element 10a of FIGS. 3 and 4 are shown prior to final shaping and assembly. FIG. 5 includes side arms 11a and 11b and microstrip lines 30 and 32 (flat pattern). FIG. 6 shows central arm 13a and a ground conductor 34 for the microstrip lines.
Referring to FIGS. 7, 8a and 8b, to increase mechanical strength of tri-pole, two additional supports 40, 42 may be added (working also as a one-quarter wavelength balun), mechanically and electrically connected to the reflector 20a. The length of all three supports is about one-quarter wavelength, which make them invisible for radiation field; there are no radiation currents on all of three supports.
In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9a and 9b, the tri-pole elements are fabricated to accept two coaxial cables 17a connected to the arms. For each of the side arms 11a, 12a, short section of microstrip line 30b, 32b may be used for impedance matching.
FIGS. 10
a, 10b and 10c illustrate another example of a tri-pole element 10d. Tri-pole element 10d includes wide loop side arms 11d, 12d and wide loop central arm 13d. A main advantage of this element, when it is used for multiband arrays is less interference with a high band signal (1710-2700 MHz) from an adjacent high band array. Another advantage is smaller size.
In another example illustrated in FIGS. 11a and 11b, for further cost reduction, the reflector and tri-pole element may be made from the same piece of sheet metal. In this example the tri-pole radiating element 10c is cut from the reflector stock and then bent out of plane. Coaxial feeding is shown in FIG. 11a. Holes 44 are provided to allow for coaxial cables 4b to pass through the reflector 20c. Microstrip feeds are also possible. For example, one strip on one side of central support, another on another side. Referring to FIG. 12, a cut piece of sheet metal stock 46 for forming one piece tri-pole radiating element with coplanar strip feeds is shown.
Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, T-shaped directors 50 may be included to help pattern shaping and decrease beamwidth. These may be considered analogous to Yagi-Uda antenna directors. The T-shaped directors 50 may help to increase operational frequency bandwidth.
In one example, as illustrated, one T-shaped director 50 is shown, but several directors may be added. A plastic support 52 may be provided to space the T-shaped director 50 off the tri-pole radiating element 10b. Also, bending of the edge portion of director arms (up or down) can be used for port-to-port isolation tuning, to get a desirable level of 25-30 dB.
FIG. 15, concerns an example of a radiating pattern (co-polar 98 and cross-polar 99) of a tri-pole radiating element with one T-shaped director 50 located on a reflector with sides of about one wavelength and 0.15 wavelength ridges. In this example, measured parameters are as follows for 790-960 MHz band:
- Beamwidth is 65 degrees+/−3 degrees
- Azimuth squint is less than 2 degrees
- Front-to-back ratio is greater than 25 dB for a 180 degree+/−30 degree cone
- Cross polar ratio is greater than 12 dB in +/−60 degree sector
- Both ports (with +45 and −45 degree polarization) have the same symmetrical pattern (with the same beamwidth in E- and H-planes)
- Return loss is greater than 20 dB
- Port-to-port isolation is greater than 30 dB
- With several T-shaped directors, beamwidth in both planes can be adjusted to 30 to 50 degrees, the same for both polarizations, and about the same in azimuth and elevation planes.
A tri-pole radiating element 10 may be used as independent antenna or element of antenna array. For example, a plurality of radiating elements array may be mounted on a reflector. The reflector may include ridges to improve F/B ratio or to control beamwidth adjustment.
In FIGS. 16-33, several examples are illustrated of tri-pole elements 10 being used as elements of base station antennas (BSA) for cellular systems with dual +/−45 degree slant polarization. In these examples, various azimuth beamwidths are achieved (from 45 degree to 90 degrees). Any of the foregoing examples of tri-pole elements 10, 10a, 10b, 10c described above may be used. Additionally, any or all of the following examples may include T-shaped directors 50. As it will be shown below, by using tri-pole radiating elements, the width of BSA can be reduced by about 20% to 30%, which is results in low windload, less visual impact, lower cost and weight of the BSA.
In FIGS. 16 and 17, examples of an antenna array 100, 102 are shown when all tri-poles are oriented in the same direction (facing down or up) and located in the center of reflector. For example, antenna array 100 has the tri-pole elements 10 facing down, while antenna array 102 has the tri-pole elements 10 facing up. In these examples, the side arms 11, 12 are oriented perpendicular to the vertical axis of the antenna, while center arm 13 is parallel to the center axis (herein, the terms “parallel” and “perpendicular” are referring to orientation with respect to a two-dimensional plan view of the antenna, and are not intended to exclude tilting the tri-pole radiating elements with respect to the surface of the reflector). This orientation results in less coupling between elements in dual-band antennas than conventional cross-dipole elements.
The smaller physical dimensions of the tri-pole radiating elements, in combination with the reduced coupling of the tri-pole elements, allows for a very compact BSA as shown in the examples that are illustrated in FIGS. 16-33. A feed network (not shown) provides each element with phase and amplitude distribution to form desirable radiation pattern in elevation plane. Phase shifters can be part of a feed network for adjustable beam tilt in elevation plane. Connectors for +45 degree and −45 degree polarizations are shown schematically on the bottom of antenna.
Depending on the height of the reflector side ridges, different azimuth beamwidth can be achieved: from 65 degrees (one-quarter wavelength ridge) to 90 degrees (no ridges). The central arm of tri-pole may be parallel to the surface of reflector or turned up or down if need for optimization of antenna parameters (such as cross-polarization or beamwidth). Also, one or more tri-pole elements themselves may be tilted up or down for performance enhancement.
For example, in FIG. 18, illustrates antenna array 104, which includes walls 105a between elements and side ridges 105b are provided on the reflector to form cavities around tri-poles. Height of walls may be 0.1-0.25 wavelength. In one example, walls may be connected to the edges of reflector. In another example, the walls are not connected to the reflector. Walls and/or cavities improve azimuth beamwidth stability and azimuth beam squint. Less than +/−2 degree azimuth squint has been measured in 20% frequency bandwidth and at elevation beam tilts from 0 to 16 degrees. Also, walls 105a between tri-poles may improve port-to-port isolation and decrease grating lobes in elevation plane.
In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 19, antenna array 106 alternating tri-pole 10 elements may be inverted with respect to each other to improve beam stability and cross-polarization. Horizontal walls (not shown) may also be placed between tri-poles in this configuration to improve antenna performance.
Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, tri-pole radiating elements may be offset by distance d (up to 0.3 wavelength) in combination with reflector side ridges (up to 0.25 wavelength) to achieve narrower azimuth beam (as narrow as 55°). For example, FIG. 20 illustrates antenna array 108 having tri-pole elements 10 facing up and offset by distanced. FIG. 21 illustrates antenna array 110 having tri-pole elements 10 facing down and offset by a distance d.
Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, very narrow (about one-half wavelength) width of BSA can be achieved with this concept (compare to regular one wavelength), with the same gain: In this configuration, side arms 11, 12 are oriented parallel with the center axis of the reflector, and center arm 13 is perpendicular to the center. In some BSA applications, compactness and/or visual impact of antenna may be more important then front-to-back ratio (F/B). Side ridges of the reflector help to improve F/B ratio.
Referring to FIG. 22, antenna array 112 includes a plurality of tri-pole radiating elements 10. The tri-pole radiating elements 10 are arranged to face opposite directions. The side arms 11, 12 of a left-facing tri-pole element 10 may be offset from a right-facing tri-pole element 10 to reduce the width of the antenna array 112. Referring to FIG. 23, the tri-pole elements 10 of antenna array 114 all face the same direction.
Referring to FIG. 24, antenna array 116 has two columns 119 of tri-pole elements 10 facing each other. The side arms 11 and 12 are oriented vertically and the center arms 13 are oriented horizontally, toward the center of the reflector. Horizontal distance d between columns may vary from one-quarter wavelength (for about 65 degrees azimuth beamwidth) to three-quarter wavelength (for about 35 degrees azimuth beamwidth). Vertical offset H is about half of vertical spacing between radiators in column (which is usually 0.6 to 0.9 wavelength).
Compared to a conventional dual-pole BSA, the example of FIG. 24 provides the same gain with smaller width W, so antenna efficiency is increased by 20-30%. For example, for 790-960 MHz band, antenna width W can be 7-8 inches vs. 10-12 inches for a conventional BSA with 65 degrees azimuth beamwidth (a popular configuration on the market). High ridges/sides of the reflector (about 0.2 wavelength) may be used to keep Front/Back ratio reasonable (close to 25 dB).
Referring to FIG. 25, antenna array 118 includes two columns 119 of tri-pole radiating elements 10 facing each other with a horizontal separation of about 0.7-0.8 wavelength. This example may be used to form azimuth pattern with 40 to 50 degrees beamwidth. BSA with 45 degrees are widely used for 4 and 6 sector cell configurations. The antenna array 118 of FIG. 25 is more compact solution (has about 20% less width) compared to existing BSA with the same beam and gain.
Referring to FIG. 26, antenna array 120 is similar to the example of FIG. 25, with the addition of one or two tri-poles radiating elements 10 added on the top and/or on the bottom as shown for azimuth sidelobe improvement when forming pattern with azimuth beamwidth 35-45 degrees. This example is advantageous in 4-6 sector wireless applications.
In BSA technology, sometimes the same two antennas are placed side-by-side for capacity doubling or individual beam tilt control of sub-bands. Tri-poles allow to reduce width of this 4-port antennas, as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28. For example, a width of 350 mm can be achieved for 790-960 MHz 4-port twin antenna compared to 560 mm of two normal antennas. This reduces wind loading and weight, which allows for less costly, more attractive support structures.
Referring to FIG. 27, for example, antenna array 122 includes a first array of tri-pole elements 124 and a secondary array of tri-pole elements 126. Each of the arrays of tri-pole elements 124, 126 is connected to a separate feed network (not shown). Two sets of +/−45 degree inputs are provided to the antenna array 122. In this example, the individual tri-pole radiating elements face inward. First array 124 can be used, for example, for 790-862 MHz, (Digital Dividend) and second array 126 may be used for 880-960 MHz (GSM 900).
Referring to FIG. 28, antenna array 128 is similar to the example of antenna array 122, however, the individual tri-pole elements 10 of each of the arrays of radiating elements 130, 132 face outward instead of inward.
Referring to FIG. 29a, a multiband antenna 140 is illustrated. In this example, tri-pole radiating elements 10 are oriented with side arms 11, 12 perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the antenna, and the center arm 13 oriented downward, parallel to the lengthwise axis. The tri-pole elements 10 are offset from the center of the reflector tray, alternating sides. Offsetting of the tri-pole elements 10 reduces azimuth beam width to 60-65 degrees. In this example, the tri-pole elements are dimensioned for operation in the low band (698-960 MHz).
FIG. 29
b is an alternative example of a multiband antenna 141. The multiband antenna 141 of FIG. 29b is similar to that of FIG. 29a, except that the tri-pole elements 10 are on the center line of the antenna 141. In this example multiband antenna 141 provides a wider azimuth beamwidth of approximately 80-90 degrees with an appropriate reflector width (for example, 10 inches).
High-band elements 142 (1.7-2.7 GHz) are illustrated, in this example, to be conventional crossed dipole elements; but other elements (+zi-poles, Yagi-Uda, patch, open waveguide, etc.) can be used. The crossed dipole elements are arranged in two arrays 144, 146 spaced apart from each other. The arms of the low band tri-pole elements may be located between the high band crossed dipole elements, and do not have significant impact on the high band frequencies. This allows for a more compact dual band antenna (e.g., 300 mm width). Also, because of the lack of coupling and blockage, wide band operation (greater than 45%) may be achieved.
The two arrays of high-band elements have broad applicability. They may be used for capacity doubling (e.g., both operating in the UMTS band), or in different bands (e.g., GSM1800 and UMTS, or UMTS and LTE 2.6). The high band arrays may also be used for 4×2 or 4×4 MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) operation for LTE.
Referring to FIG. 30-33, several different multiband antenna configurations are illustrated. These examples have several pairs of tri-poles facing to each other (see 152 in the figures), to form 65 degree or narrower azimuth beamwidth in a compact housing, such as a width of twelve inches or less. These examples also have several tri-poles opposite to each other in the lengthwise axis of antenna (some face up, some face down, see 154, 164 in the figures). The mixing of facing-up and facing-down tri-poles can significantly improve the cross-polarization, azimuth squint, and front-to-back ratio.
Referring to FIG. 30, another example of a multiband antenna 150 is illustrated. In this example, tri-pole elements 10 are low band elements and high band elements 142 are cross dipole elements. The tri-pole elements 10 are arranged in pairs of opposing elements 152 and pairs of center-line tri-poles 154 oriented to be opposite of each other. An additional center-line tri-pole 156 may be added at the bottom of the multiband antenna 150. The number of pairs of radiating elements depends on antenna length and beam width requirements, and may contain additional or fewer pairs of elements. The low band array is symmetrical if the lower tri-pole element 156 is ignored.
Another example of a multiband antenna 160 is illustrated in FIG. 31. In this example, the pairs of center-line tri-pole elements 164 are oriented such that they form a “box” with the pairs of opposing tri-pole elements 152. This example provides good low band azimuth pattern and retains antenna symmetry. The lowest tri-pole element 166 may be omitted without affecting symmetry.
FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate additional embodiments of multiband antennas. These examples are similar to the example of FIG. 31 in that the low band tri-pole elements 152, 164 are arranged to form boxes. However, three high band elements 142 are inter-leaved between the tri-pole elements.
Patent Grant
9077070
