Antenna array with self-cancelling conductive structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11431104-B2
Application number	US-202016921480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2020
Priority date	Jul 6, 2020
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

An antenna array capable of full duplex communication is described. The antenna array includes a first dual polarity antenna element and a second dual polarity antenna element. A first conductive structure, extends between the first and second antenna elements along a diagonal axis in common between the first antenna element and the second element, and forms a coupling path between the first and the second antenna elements such that at least a portion of a signal generated by the first antenna element is coupled, via the coupling path, to the second antenna element to at least reduce cross polarity mutual coupling between the first antenna element and the second antenna element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An antenna array capable of full duplex communication, comprising:
a first dual polarity antenna element, the first dual polarity antenna element having a first diagonal axis;
a second dual polarity antenna element, the second dual polarity antenna element having the first diagonal axis in common with the first dual polarity antenna element, the second dual polarity antenna element being adjacent to the first dual polarity antenna element along the first diagonal axis; and
a first conductive structure, extending between the first and second dual polarity antenna elements along the first diagonal axis, and forming a first coupling path between the first and the second dual polarity antenna elements such that at least a portion of a signal generated by the first dual polarity antenna element is coupled, via the first coupling path, to the second dual polarity antenna element to at least reduce cross polarity mutual coupling between the first dual polarity antenna element and the second dual polarity antenna element, the first conductive structure having a length such that the signal generated by the first dual polarity antenna element arrives, via the first coupling path, at the second dual polarity antenna element 180° out of phase relative to an over the air signal generated by the first dual polarity antenna element.

2. The antenna array of claim 1 , wherein the first and second dual polarity antenna elements are supported by a substrate, and the first conductive structure is located on a first side of the substrate.

3. The antenna array of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive structure is a copper conductive structure.

4. The antenna array of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third dual polarity antenna element;
a fourth dual polarity antenna element;
the first dual polarity antenna element, second dual polarity antenna element, third dual polarity antenna element, and fourth dual polarity antenna element forming a 2×2 grid; and
a second conductive structure, extending between the third and fourth dual polarity antenna elements along a second diagonal axis that is shared by the third and fourth antenna elements, and forming a second coupling path between the third and the fourth dual polarity antenna elements such that at least a portion of a signal generated by the third dual polarity antenna element is coupled, via the second coupling path, to the fourth dual polarity antenna element to at least reduce cross polarity mutual coupling between the third dual polarity antenna element and the fourth antenna element.

5. The antenna array of claim 4 , wherein:
the first, second, third and fourth dual polarity antenna elements are supported by a substrate;
the first conductive structure is located on a first side of the substrate; and
the second conductive structure is located on a second side of the substrate.

6. The antenna array of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second dual polarity antenna elements are supported by a substrate, and the first conductive structure is connected to a first portion of the first dual polarity antenna element that is superimposed by a first radiating patch element of the first antenna element, and to a second portion of the second dual polarity antenna element that is superimposed by a second radiating patch element of the second antenna element.

7. The antenna array of claim 6 wherein the first conductive structure has at least a first arm extending proximate to a first perimeter of the first portion of the first dual polarity antenna element, and has at least a second arm extending proximate to a second perimeter of the second portion of the second dual polarity antenna element.

8. The antenna array of claim 7 , wherein the first arm and the second arm each has a curved geometry.

9. The antenna array of claim 7 , wherein the first arm extends along a first edge of the first perimeter of the first portion of the first dual polarity antenna element short of a midpoint of the first edge, and wherein the second arm extends along a second edge of the second perimeter of the second portion of the second dual polarity antenna element short of a midpoint of the second edge.

10. The antenna array of claim 1 , wherein:
the first dual polarity antenna element comprises a first corner;
the second dual polarity antenna element comprises a second corner;
the first corner is adjacent and closest to the second corner; and
the first conductive structure is connected proximate to the first corner and proximate to the second corner.

11. The antenna array of claim 10 , wherein the first and the second dual polarity antenna elements are supported by a substrate, and the first conductive structure extends along a first inner substrate perimeter of the first dual polarity antenna element and a second inner substrate perimeter of the second dual polarity antenna element.

12. The antenna array of claim 10 , wherein the first dual polarity antenna element has four corner portions each containing a respective conductive structure.

13. The antenna array of claim 1 , wherein the length of the first conductive structure is equal to half an operating wavelength of the antenna array.

14. An antenna array capable of full duplex communication, comprising:
a plurality of antenna elements, arranged in a grid pattern, the plurality of antenna elements including at least a first antenna element and a second antenna element, the first and second antenna elements having a common diagonal axis, the first and second antenna elements being adjacent to each other along the diagonal axis; and
a plurality of conductive structures, each conductive structure extending between a respective pair of diagonally adjacent antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements to form a respective coupling path between the respective pair of diagonally adjacent antenna elements such that at least a portion of a signal generated by one antenna element of the respective pair of diagonally adjacent antenna elements is coupled, via the respective coupling path, to another antenna element of the respective pair of diagonally adjacent antenna elements to at least reduce cross polarity mutual coupling between the respective pair of diagonally adjacent antenna elements;
wherein a first conductive structure, of the plurality of conductive structures, extending between the first and second antenna elements, has a length such that the signal generated by the first antenna element arrives, via the coupling path formed by the first conductive structure, at the second antenna element 180° out of phase relative to an over the air signal generated by the first antenna element.

15. The antenna array of claim 14 ,
wherein the length of the first conductive structure is equal to half an operating wavelength of the antenna array.

16. The antenna array of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements is shaped to have four corner portions, and wherein each of the plurality of conductive structures extends between diagonally adjacent corners of the respective pair of diagonally adjacent antenna elements.

17. The antenna array of claim 15 ,
wherein the first conductive structure is connected to a first portion of the first antenna element that is superimposed by a first radiating patch element of the first antenna element, and to a second portion of the second antenna element that is superimposed by a second radiating patch element of the second antenna element.

18. The antenna array of claim 17 wherein the first conductive structure has at

Assignees

• Watson Paul Robert
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watson Paul Robert

Classifications

• H01Q9/045

  with particular feeding means (for circular polarisation H01Q9/0428) · CPC title

• H01Q21/065 Primary

  Patch antenna array · CPC title

• H01Q1/523

  between antennas of an array · CPC title

• H01Q1/246

  specially adapted for base stations · CPC title

• H01Q19/028 Primary

  for reducing the cross polarisation · CPC title