Antenna array and method for synthesizing antenna patterns

• US 10,027,036 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Kathrein-Werke KG. (Kathrein SE)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Georg, Weckerle, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLEMING-HALL, ERICA L
• Application Number:
  US14/486,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 455 73, 342368
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/06 Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/28 varying the amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence

Abstract

An antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements is disclosed. The antenna array comprises: a plurality of transceiver modules; an active antenna element subset of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the active antenna element subset comprises at least one active antenna element being actively coupled to an associated transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules; and at least one passively combined sub-array of at least two antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements. A method for generating antenna patterns with the antenna array is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements vertically arranged in a vertical column comprising:

a plurality of transceiver modules;

an active antenna element subset of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the active antenna element subset comprises at least one active antenna element, the at least one active antenna element being actively coupled to its own subset transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules, wherein at least one of phases and amplitudes of the at least one active antenna element of the active antenna element subset may be dynamically determined by beam forming parameters; and

at least one passively combined sub-array of at least two antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein said at least one passively combined sub-array is actively coupled to an associated sub-array transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules, wherein the at least two antenna elements are passively combined by a passive feed network, the passive feed network being adjusted by determining static phase relations between the at least two antenna elements of the at least one passively combined subarray and wherein the passive feed network is coupled actively to a common sub-array transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules, wherein at least one of phases and amplitudes of said at least one passively combined sub-array may be dynamically determined by beam forming parameters, and

wherein the active antenna element subset and the at least one passively combined sub-array are arranged in said vertical column.

2. The antenna array of claim 1, comprising at least two passively combined sub-arrays, wherein the active antenna element subset is located between said at least two passively combined sub-arrays.

3. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the at least two antenna elements of said at least one passively combined sub-array have a smaller spacing between individual ones of the at least two antenna elements than the spacing between an active antenna element in the active antenna element subset and an antenna element in said at least one passively combined sub-array.

4. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the number of transceiver modules in the plurality of transceiver modules is smaller than the number of antenna elements in the plurality of antenna elements.

5. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the antenna elements are arranged in a single vertical column.

6. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the active antenna element subset and the at least one passively combined sub-array are arranged one below the other in the single vertical column.

7. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the single vertical column comprises a predefined number of horizontal lines, wherein there is only one antenna element per line.

8. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and the computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for the manufacture of an antenna array having a plurality of antenna elements vertically arranged in a vertical column, the antenna array comprising:

a plurality of transceiver modules;

an active antenna element subset of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein the active antenna element subset comprises at least one active antenna element, the at least one active antenna element being actively coupled to its own subset transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules, wherein at least one of phases and amplitudes of said at least one active antenna element may be dynamically determined by beam forming parameters; and

at least one passively combined sub-array of at least two antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements, wherein said at least one passively combined sub-array is actively coupled to an associated sub-array transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules, wherein the at least two antenna elements are passively combined by a passive feed network, the passive feed network being adjusted by determining static phase relations between the at least two antenna elements of the at least one passively combined subarray and wherein the passive feed network is coupled actively to a common sub-array transceiver module of the plurality of transceiver modules wherein at least one of phases and amplitudes of said at least one passively combined sub-array may be dynamically determined by beam forming parameters, and

wherein the active antenna element subset and the at least one passively combined sub-array are arranged in said vertical column.