MULTIBAND ANTENNA WITH VARIABLE ELECTRICAL TILT

• US 20150244072A1
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RFS Technologies Incorporated (Amphenol Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Harel, Jean-Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 10,103,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/40 with phasing matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/28 Arrangements for establishing polarisation or beam width over two or more different wavebands

Abstract

A feed system for controlling the variable electrical tilt in the vertical plane of arrayed radiating elements of a multiband antenna, comprising a Butler matrix with N inputs and N outputs comprising hybrid couplers, each input being capable of receiving a radio signal and each output being capable of transmitting the signal to at least one radiating element.

At least one output of the Butler matrix is connected to a module enabling an independent electrical tilt for each frequency band, the module comprising (i) a first stage of diplexers that separates the signal into different frequency bands, (ii) a second stage of fixed delay lines that applies a given electrical delay to the signal in each frequency band, (iii) a third stage of variable phase shifters that introduce an adjusted phase shift of the signal into each frequency band, and (iv) a fourth stage of diplexers that combines the signals into the different frequency bands in order to transmit them to at least one radiating element.

Claims

1. A feed system for controlling the variable electrical tilt in the vertical plane of arrayed radiating elements of a multiband antenna, comprising a Butler matrix with N inputs and N outputs comprising hybrid couplers, each input being capable of receiving a radio signal and each output being capable of transmitting the signal to at least one radiating element, wherein at least one output of the Butler matrix is linked to a module enabling an independent electrical tilt for each frequency band, the module comprising

a first stage of diplexers that separates the signal into different frequency bands,

a second stage of fixed-delay lines that applies a given electrical delay to the signal within each frequency band,

a third stage of variable phase shifters that introduces an adjusted phase shift of the signal to each frequency band, and

a fourth stage of diplexers that combines the signals within the different frequency bands in order to transmit them to at least one radiating element.

2. A feed system according to claim 1, wherein the module is connected to a pair of radiating elements by means of a power splitter and at least one fixed-delay line.

3. A feed system according to claim 2, wherein the output of the module is connected to the input of a power splitter, one of the outputs of the power splitter being connected to a first radiating element and the other output of the power splitter being connected to a fixed-delay line connected to a second radiating element.

4. A feed system according to claim 1, comprising a number of modules less than the number N of outputs of the Butler matrix.

5. A feed system according to claim 4, wherein the number of modules is equal to N−

1.

6. A feed system according to claim 1, wherein the Butler matrix comprises N hybrid couplers, of which N/2 hybrid couplers belong to a first group and N/2 hybrid couplers belong to a second group, each hybrid coupler of the first group comprising two outputs and each output being respectively linked to a different hybrid coupler of a second group.

7. A feed system according to claim 1, wherein the Butler matrix comprises N+N/2 hybrid couplers, of which N/2 hybrid couplers belong to a first group, N/2 hybrid couplers belong to a second group, and N/2 hybrid couplers belong to a third group, each hybrid coupler of the first group comprising two outputs, a first output being directly linked to a hybrid coupler of the second group and the second output being linked to a hybrid coupler of the second group by means of a hybrid coupler of the third group.

8. A method for controlling the variable electrical tilt in the vertical plane of arrayed radiating elements of a multiband antenna by means of a feed system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical tilt is adjusted independently for each frequency band by means of a module, connecting the Butler matrix to the radiating elements, which comprises a variable phase-shifter on the path of the signal in each frequency band.