Method and apparatus for forming beam in antenna array

• US 9,923,283 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Kyunghaeng, Park, Sungho, Kyeong, Soocheol, Kang, Jiwon, Ko, Hyunsoo, Kim, Sunam
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao L
• Application Number:
  US14/890,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20160087349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 342 81, 342154, 342368, 342373, 343757, 343810
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/061 Two dimensional planar arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/30 Combinations of separate antenna units operating in different wavebands and connected to a common feeder system
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/42 using two or more imbricated arrays H01Q5/49 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/10 Polarisation diversity; Directional diversity

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for forming a beam in an antenna array are disclosed. The method for forming a beam in an antenna array comprises the steps of: forming a first beam pattern in a first band on the basis of a single-band antenna aggregation and a multi-band antenna aggregation; and forming other beam patterns in bands other than the first band on the basis of the multi-band antenna aggregation, wherein the single-band antenna aggregation includes a plurality of single-band antennas which operate only in the first band, the multi-band antenna aggregation includes multi-band antennas which operate in a plurality of bands including the first band, and the antenna array may be arranged in a two-dimensional plane such that distances between the plurality of single-band antennas and the plurality of multi-band antennas are constant.

Claims

1. A method of forming of beam in an antenna array, the method comprising:

forming a first beam pattern based on a single-band antenna set and a multi-band antenna set at a first band; and

forming a different beam pattern based on the multi-band antenna set at a different band other than the first band,

wherein the single-band antenna set includes a plurality of single-band antennas operating only at the first band,

wherein the multi-band antenna set includes a plurality of multi-band antennas operating at a plurality of bands comprising the first band, and

wherein the antenna array is arrayed in a 2 dimensional (2D) plane while maintaining a uniform distance between the plurality of single-band antennas and the plurality of multi-band antennas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-band antenna set includes a first multi-band antenna set and a second multi-band antenna set, and

wherein the forming of the different beam pattern based on the multi-band antenna set at the different band other than the first band comprises

forming a second beam pattern based on the first multi-band antenna set at a second band;

and

forming a third beam pattern based on the second multi-band antenna set at a third band.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the first multi-band antenna set comprises a plurality of first multi-band antennas,

wherein the second multi-band antenna set comprises a plurality of second multi-band antennas, and

wherein a distance between the plurality of first multi-band antennas is greater than a distance between the plurality of second multi-band antennas.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the first multi-band antenna operates at the first band and the second band, and

wherein the second multi-band antenna operates at the first band and the third band.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the antenna array has a size of 4×

4,

wherein the single-band antenna, second multi-band antenna, and third multi-band antenna included in the antenna array are arrayed with a specific separation distance from a different antenna nearby,

wherein the single-band antenna is located at (2,

     1), (3,

     1), (2,

     4), and (3,

     4) on the 4×

4 antenna array,

wherein the first multi-band antenna is located at (1,

     2), (1,

     3), (2,

     2), (2,

     3), (3,

     2), (3,

     3), (4,

     2), and (4,

     3) on the 4×

4 antenna array, and

wherein the second multi-band antenna is located at (1,

     1), (1,

     4), (4,

     1), and (4,

     4) on the 4×

4 antenna array.

6. A base station operating in a wireless communication network, the base station comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit configured to transmit and receive a radio signal;

a processor operatively connected to the RF unit and configured to;

form a first beam pattern based on a single-band antenna set and a multi-band antenna set at a first band; and

form a different beam pattern based on the multi-band antenna set at a different band other than the first band,

wherein the single-band antenna set includes a plurality of single-band antennas operating only at the first band,

wherein the multi-band antenna set includes a plurality of multi-band antennas operating at a plurality of bands comprising the first band, and

wherein the antenna array is arrayed in a 2 dimensional (2D) plane while maintaining a uniform distance between the plurality of single-band antennas and the plurality of multi-band antennas.

7. The base station of claim 6,

wherein the processor is configured to:

form a second beam pattern based on a first multi-band antenna set at a second band, and

form a third beam pattern based on a second multi-band antenna set at a third band,

wherein the multi-band antenna set includes the first multi-band antenna set and the second multi-band antenna set.

8. The base station of claim 7,

wherein the first multi-band antenna set comprises a plurality of first multi-band antennas,

wherein the second multi-band antenna set comprises a plurality of second multi-band antennas, and

wherein a distance between the plurality of first multi-band antennas is greater than a distance between the plurality of second multi-band antennas.

9. The base station of claim 8,

wherein the first multi-band antenna operates at the first band and the second band, and

wherein the second multi-band antenna operates at the first band and the third band.

10. The base station of claim 9,

wherein the antenna array has a size of 4×

4,

wherein the single-band antenna, second multi-band antenna, and third multi-band antenna included in the antenna array are arrayed with a specific separation distance from a different antenna nearby,

wherein the single-band antenna is located at (2,

     1), (3,

     1), (2,

     4), and (3,

     4) on the 4×

4 antenna array,

wherein the first multi-band antenna is located at (1,

     2), (1,

     3), (2,

     2), (2,

     3), (3,

     2), (3,

     3), (4,

     2), and (4,

     3) on the 4×

4 antenna array, and

wherein the second multi-band antenna is located at (1,

     1), (1,

     4), (4,

     1), and (4,

     4) on the 4×

4 antenna array.