ACTIVE ANTENNA ARRAYS

• US 20140036777A1
• Filed: 01/26/2012
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pivit, Florian, Kokkinos, Titos
• Granted Patent: US 9,277,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/06 Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/50 Feeding or matching arrangements for broad-band or multi-band operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0057 using diplexing or multiplexing filters for selecting the desired band
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points

Abstract

In order to reduce the weight, cost and complexity of an active antenna array, designed for use with a plurality of different mobile telecommunications systems (multi-band system), the array comprises a plurality of antenna elements, which are divided into a plurality of antenna groups; a plurality of RF transceivers, which are divided into transceiver sets, wherein each transceiver of a set is arranged to operate on a different mobile telecommunications system, and including respective phase shifting and feeding networks coupled between each transceiver set and a respective antenna group, so that each transceiver of a set is coupled to each antenna element of the respective antenna group.

Claims

1. An antenna array, adapted for use with a plurality of different mobile telecommunications systems, comprising:

a plurality of antenna elements, which are divided into a plurality of antenna groups, each group comprising more than one antenna element;

a plurality of feeding and phase shifting networks;

wherein

the antenna array is an active antenna array, and includes a plurality of transceivers, which are divided into a plurality of transceiver sets, each set comprising more than one transceiver, and wherein each transceiver of a transceiver set is adapted to operate on a respective mobile telecommunications system of said plurality of different systems;

wherein each transceiver set is coupled through a respective feeding and phase shifting network to a respective antenna group, so that each transceiver of a transceiver set is coupled to each antenna element of the respective antenna group in order to provide an active antenna array, generating a predetermined phase progression of antenna signal across adjacent elements of said plurality of antenna elements.

2. An active antenna array as claimed in claim 1, wherein selected members of the respective said transceiver set are coupled to each antenna element of the antenna group via a respective phase shifting device in order to generate said predetermined phase progression.

3. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein each transceiver set comprises two transceivers which serve a respective system of two systems, preferably a UMTS system and an LTE system, and each said antenna group comprises two antenna elements.

4. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein each phase shifting network includes an uplink path and a downlink path, and for the downlink path, one or more multiplexing devices, each of which is coupled to an antenna element to receive a plurality of downlink signals of different mobile phone systems from different transceivers of a said set.

5. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein each phase shifting network includes an uplink path and a downlink path, and for the uplink path, one or more multiplexing devices, each of which is coupled to an antenna element to feed a plurality of uplink signals of different mobile phone systems to different transceivers of a said set.

6. An active antenna array according to claim 4, wherein each phase shifting network includes a downlink path, which includes power dividers coupled to said transceivers, multiplexers coupled to said antenna elements, and phase shifting devices selectively coupled between said power dividers and multiplexers.

7. An active antenna array according to claim 5, wherein each phase shifting network includes an uplink path, which includes power combiners coupled to said transceivers, demultiplexers coupled to said antenna elements, and phase shifting devices selectively coupled between said power dividers and demultiplexers.

8. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the phase shifting network includes active phase shifting devices, preferably integrated circuit elements.

9. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein the phase shifting network includes passive phase shifting devices, preferably transmission line lengths.

10. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein each said antenna element is a dual polarised antenna, wherein one polarisation is coupled to a transmit path of the respective transceivers, and the other polarisation is coupled to the receive path of the respective transceivers.

11. An active antenna array according to claim 1, wherein each said antenna element is sufficiently wideband to cover at least part of operating frequencies of said plurality of different systems.