Lensed base station antennas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10897089-B2
Application number	US-201715730883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

A lensed antenna system is provided. The lensed antenna system include a first column of radiating elements having a first longitudinal axis and a first azimuth single, and, optionally, a second column of radiating elements having a second longitudinal axis and a second azimuth angle, and a radio frequency lens. The radio frequency lens has a third longitudinal axis. The radio frequency lens is disposed such that the longitudinal axes of the first and second columns of radiating elements are aligned with the longitudinal axis of the radio frequency lens, and such that the azimuth angels of the beams produced by the columns of radiating elements are directed at the radio frequency lens. The multiple beam antenna system further includes a radome housing the columns of radiating elements and the radio frequency lens. There may be more or fewer than two columns of radiating elements.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A multibeam, multiband antenna, comprising:
a first linear array of low band radiating elements that are configured to radiate in a first frequency band to generate a first antenna beam;
a second linear array of high band radiating elements that are configured to radiate in a second frequency band that is at higher frequencies than the first frequency band to generate a second antenna beam; and
a cylindrical radio frequency (“RF”) lens disposed in front of the first and second linear arrays, and
wherein the first linear array of low band radiating elements and the second linear array of high band radiating elements each have respective azimuth beamwidths that decrease with increasing frequency.

2. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 1 , wherein the first linear array of low band radiating elements and the second linear array of high band radiating elements each have respective azimuth beamwidths that decrease generally linearly with increasing frequency.

3. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the high band radiating elements are coaxially disposed within respective ones of the low band radiating elements.

4. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical RF lens comprises dielectric material having different dielectric constants in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction.

5. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical RF lens is formed of a dielectric material having a substantially homogeneous dielectric constant.

6. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 1 , further comprising a radome, wherein the first and second linear arrays and the cylindrical RF lens are all disposed within the radome.

7. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 1 , wherein the low band radiating elements and the high band radiating elements are aligned together in a single column.

8. A multibeam, multiband antenna, comprising:
a first linear array of low band radiating elements that are configured to radiate in a first frequency band to generate a first antenna beam;
a second linear array of high band radiating elements that are configured to radiate in a second frequency band that is at higher frequencies than the first frequency band to generate a second antenna beam; and
a cylindrical radio frequency (“RF”) lens disposed in front of the first and second linear arrays,
wherein the low band radiating elements have a first range of azimuth beamwidths across the first frequency band and the high band radiating elements have a second range of azimuth beamwidths across the second frequency band, where the highest azimuth beamwidth in the second range is less than the lowest azimuth beamwidth in the first range.

9. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , wherein after passing through the cylindrical RF lens the first and second antenna beams each have approximately the same azimuth beamwidth.

10. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , wherein the low band radiating elements comprise box-type radiating elements that include four dipoles that are arranged in a box shape.

11. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , wherein at least some of the high band radiating elements are coaxially disposed within respective ones of the low band radiating elements.

12. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , wherein the cylindrical RF lens comprises dielectric material having different dielectric constants in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction.

13. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , wherein the cylindrical RF lens is formed of a dielectric material having a substantially homogeneous dielectric constant.

14. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , further comprising a radome, wherein the first and second linear arrays and the cylindrical RF lens are all disposed within the radome.

15. The multibeam, multiband antenna of claim 8 , wherein the low band radiating elements and the high band radiating elements are aligned together in a single column.

Assignees

• Commscope Inc North Carolina
• Matsing Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Matitsine Serguei
• Timofeev Igor E
• Linehan Kevin E

Classifications

• H01Q21/06

  Arrays of individually energised antenna units similarly polarised and spaced apart · CPC title

• H01Q1/24

  with receiving set · CPC title

• H01Q21/24

  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 title

• H01Q1/246

  specially adapted for base stations · CPC title

• H01Q21/08

  the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path {(waveguide fed H01Q21/0037)} · CPC title