ENHANCED PHASE SHIFTER CIRCUIT TO REDUCE RF CABLES

• US 20160359239A1
• Filed: 08/23/2016
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurk, Morgan C., Zimmerman, Martin L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,148,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/184 Strip line phase-shifters H01P1/181, H01P1/185, H01P1/19 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/2135 using strip line filters H01P1/2131 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• 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 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/20 characterised by the operating wavebands
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/28 Arrangements for establishing polarisation or beam width over two or more different wavebands
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/50 Feeding or matching arrangements for broad-band or multi-band operation

Abstract

A multi-band antenna system includes an array of wide-band radiating elements and a multi-band electrical tilt circuit. The multi-band electrical tilt circuit includes a plurality of combiners, a first RE band variable phase shifter and a second RF band variable phase shifter implemented in a common medium. The common medium may comprise a PCB, a stripline circuit, or the like. Each combiner includes a combined port, a first RF band port, and a second RF band port. The combined ports are coupled to the radiating elements. The first RF band phase shifter has a first plurality of variably phase shifted ports connected to the first RF band ports of the combiners via transmission line, and the second RF band phase shifter has a second plurality of variably phase-shifted ports connected to the second RF band ports of the combiners via transmission line. The phase shifters are independently configurable.

Claims

1. A multi-band antenna system, comprising:

an array of wide-band radiating elements;

a multi-band electrical tilt circuit, comprising;

a plurality of combiners, each combiner having a combined port, a first RF band port, and a second RF band port, each combined port being coupled to a respective sub-array of the array of wide-band radiating elements;

a first RF band variable phase shifter having a first input and a first plurality of outputs that are connected to respective ones of the first RF band ports via respective ones of a first plurality of transmission lines; and

a second RF band variable phase shifter having a second input and a second plurality of outputs that are connected to respective ones of the second RF band ports via respective ones of a second plurality of transmission lines;

wherein the first RF band variable phase shifter is configurable independently from the second RF band variable phase shifter, and

wherein fixed portions of the first and second phase shifters and at least some of the first plurality of transmission lines and at least some of the second plurality of transmission lines are implemented in a common medium.

2. The multi-band antenna system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the sub-arrays include only a single radiating element.

3. The multi-band antenna system of claim 1, wherein each combiner comprises a multiplexer filter.

4. The multi-band antenna system of claim 3, wherein each multiplexer filter comprises a diplexer filter.

5. The multi-band antenna system of claim 3, wherein each multiplexer filter comprises a triplexer filter.

6. The multi-band antenna system of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of each multiplexer filter is implemented in the common medium.

7. The multi-band antenna system of claim 6, wherein the portion of each multiplexer filter that is implemented in the common medium comprises a microstrip transmission line or a stripline transmission line.

8. The multi-band antenna system of claim 1, wherein the common medium comprises a single printed circuit board, at least a fixed portion of the first RF band variable phase shifter and at least a fixed portion of the second RF band variable phase shifter are fabricated as part of the single printed circuit board.

9. The multi-band antenna system of claim 1, further comprising a third RF band phase shifter having a third plurality of variably phase-shifted ports, and wherein each combiner further comprises a third RF band port coupled to the third plurality of variably phase-shifted ports.

10. A printed circuit board for a multi-band antenna system, the printed circuit board comprising:

a plurality of first radio frequency (“

RF”

) transmission lines, at least some of the first RF transmission lines including first segments that extend along respective first arcs, where the first arcs are concentrically arranged about a first point;

a plurality of second RF transmission lines, at least some of the second RF transmission lines including second segments that extend along respective second arcs, where the second arcs are concentrically arranged about a second point that is in a different location than the first point;

a plurality of third RF transmission line segments that are constituent parts of a respective plurality of first combiners, wherein a first end of each first RF transmission line is connected to a first end of a respective one of the third RF transmission lines and a first end of each second RF transmission line is connected to a second end of a respective one of the third RF transmission lines,

wherein the printed circuit board comprises a single printed circuit board.

11. The printed circuit board of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of fourth RF transmission line segments that are constituent parts of a respective plurality of second combiners, wherein a second end of each first RF transmission line is connected to a first end of a respective one of the fourth RF transmission lines and a second end of each second RF transmission line is connected to a second end of a respective one of the fourth RF transmission lines.

12. The printed circuit board of claim 11, wherein a first rotatable wiper arm is mounted on the printed circuit board above the first RF transmission lines, the first RF transmission lines and the first rotatable wiper arm comprising parts of a first RF band variable phase shifter, and a second rotatable wiper arm is mounted on the printed circuit board above the second RF transmission lines, the second RF transmission lines and the second rotatable wiper arm comprising parts of a second RF band variable phase shifter, and

wherein the first RF band variable phase shifter is configurable independently from the second RF band variable phase shifter.

13. The printed circuit board of claim 12, wherein the third RF transmission line segments that are constituent parts of the respective first combiners comprise microstrip or stripline transmission line segments, and wherein the fourth RF transmission line segments that are constituent parts of the respective second combiners comprise microstrip or stripline transmission line segments

14. The printed circuit board of claim 11, wherein each first combiner and each second combiner comprises a diplexer filter or a triplexer filter.

15. The printed circuit board of claim 11, wherein a common port of each combiner is connected to respective sub-arrays of an array of wide band radiating elements.

16. The printed circuit board of claim 15, wherein at least some of the sub-arrays include only a single radiating element.

17. The printed circuit board of claim 12, wherein an input of the first RF band variable phase shifter is coupled to a first radio that operates in a first frequency band and an input of the second RF band variable phase shifter is coupled to a second radio that operates in a second frequency band that is different than the first frequency band.