Lensed antennas for use in cellular and other communications systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11264726-B2
Application number	US-201916663558-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2019
Priority date	Aug 27, 2015
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

Phased array antennas include a plurality of radiating elements and a plurality of RF lenses that are generally aligned along a first vertical axis. Each radiating element is associated with a respective one of the RF lenses, and each radiating element is tilted with respect to the first vertical axis.

First claim

What which is claimed is:

1. A phased array antenna, comprising:
a first vertical column of radiating elements;
a second vertical column of radiating elements;
a first vertical column of radio frequency (“RF”) lenses, each RF lens in the first vertical column of RF lenses associated with a respective one of the radiating elements in the first vertical column of radiating elements; and
a second vertical column of RF lenses, each RF lens in the second vertical column of RF lenses associated with a respective one of the radiating elements in the second vertical column of radiating elements;
wherein each radiating element in the first and second vertical columns of radiating elements is mechanically angled downward from a horizontal orientation.

2. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , wherein each RF lens is a spherical RF lens.

3. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , wherein each RF lens is an elliptical RF lens.

4. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , further comprising a corporate feed network that is configured to feed RF signals to the first and second vertical columns of radiating elements.

5. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , further comprising a beamforming network that is configured to feed a pair RF signals to the first and second vertical columns of radiating elements.

6. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , wherein each radiating element in the first and second vertical columns of radiating elements is positioned so that a center of a radiation pattern that is emitted by the radiating element when excited is directed at a center point of its associated RF lens.

7. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , wherein each radiating element is mechanically angled downward between 2 and 10 degrees from the horizontal orientation.

8. The phased array antenna of claim 1 , wherein each radiating element in the first and second vertical columns of radiating elements is positioned at the same distance from its associated RF lens.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Zimmerman Martin
• Timofeev Igor
• Linehan Kevin Eldon

Classifications

• H01Q1/246 Primary

  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

• H01Q15/08

  formed of solid dielectric material · CPC title

• H01Q19/108

  Combination of a dipole with a plane reflecting surface (H01Q19/106 takes precedence; strip line H01Q9/065) · CPC title

• H01Q21/28

  Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} · CPC title