A compact high-gain passive multi-frequency smart fusion antenna array

Abstract

The application discloses a compact high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array layout, in which FDD multi-frequency antenna array and TDD intelligent antenna array adopt an up-down layout, and through a dual-frequency combiner and an ultra-wide frequency dipole, the FDD multi-frequency array and the TDD intelligent antenna array share radiation units at the joint, so that the length of the antenna is shortened while the gain of the FDD multi-frequency array and the TDD intelligent antenna array is basically kept unchanged. The application can be used alone to shorten the length of the fusion antenna and improve the gain, and can also be combined with other methods to further shorten the length of the antenna or improve the gain of the FDD multi-frequency array and the TDD intelligent antenna array.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of base station antennas, and in particular to a compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array layout that uses a dual-frequency combiner to multiplex the radiating elements of an FDD multi-frequency antenna array and a TDD smart antenna array. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of 5G commercialization, Massive MiMo (MMI) base stations have entered a phase of large-scale deployment. Compared to the previous four generations of wireless communication networks, due to the use of higher communication frequencies and lower radiation power, the coverage area of ​​a single 5G Massive MiMo cell is less than half that of a 4G cell, while the number of Massive MiMo base stations required for the same coverage is about 3 to 4 times that of 4G base stations. This has exacerbated the already strained tower and urban base station resources in the 4G era! To alleviate the aforementioned problem of insufficient base station sites and installation space, operators, equipment manufacturers, and major antenna manufacturers have collaborated to launch a series of integrated and miniaturized base station antenna solutions. The compact high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna involved in this patent is one of the most widely accepted, deployed, and influential solutions. The basic idea of ​​the passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna is to integrate passive antennas of both FDD multi-frequency antennas and TDD smart antennas into a single antenna. This reduces the number of antennas per site, saves installation space, and provides near-lossless wireless coverage for both FDD multi-frequency antennas and TDD smart antennas simultaneously.

[0003] Therefore, the successful implementation of passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antennas depends on: 1) The fusion of FDD and TDD standards can significantly save site installation space; simply put, the size of the fusion antenna must be smaller than the sum of the original two antenna sizes; 2) After fusion, the signal coverage of FDD and TDD cannot be worse than that of independent FDD multi-frequency antennas and independent TDD intelligent antennas. To achieve 1), the FDD array and TDD array cannot be too far apart in space, otherwise the size will increase after fusion. On the other hand, as is well known, antennas are complex open-coupled systems. If the FDD array and TDD array cannot be well isolated due to their compact layout, the coupling between them will cause their respective radiation pattern indicators to deteriorate and their gain to decrease. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array layout that can both shorten antenna length and improve gain.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution.

[0006] A compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array layout is characterized by comprising an FDD multi-frequency antenna array and a TDD intelligent antenna array assembled together. The FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD intelligent antenna array share some radiating elements through a dual-frequency combiner. The shared radiating elements are ultra-wideband radiating elements covering the operating frequency bands of both the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD intelligent antenna array.

[0007] More preferably, the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array are mounted on the same reflector.

[0008] More preferably, the reflector is a rectangular plate, with a lower end cover and a connector at the lower end of the rectangular plate, and the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array are arranged in an upper and lower configuration; that is, the FDD multi-frequency array is located at the upper part of the reflector, away from the lower end cover and connector, and the TDD smart antenna array is located at the lower part of the reflector, close to the lower end cover and connector.

[0009] More preferably, there is a spectral gap between the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array.

[0010] More preferably, the FDD multi-frequency antenna array has an operating bandwidth of 1710~1830 MHz, and the TDD smart antenna array has an operating bandwidth of 1880~2675 MHz.

[0011] More preferably, at the junction of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array, several rows or columns of radiating elements are multiplexed by a combiner.

[0012] More preferably, the number of shared radiating elements does not exceed 1 / 3 of the number of radiating elements in each of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array.

[0013] More preferably, the combining terminal of the dual-frequency combiner is connected to the ultra-wideband radiation unit, the low-frequency terminal is connected to the corresponding port of the FDD phase shifter, and the high-frequency terminal is connected to the corresponding port of the TDD phase shifter.

[0014] More preferably, the out-of-band rejection of the dual-frequency combiner is not less than 30 dB, and the insertion loss is not more than 0.5 dB.

[0015] More preferably, the dual-frequency combiner is a metal cavity combiner or a stripline combiner.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows.

[0017] Simply splicing FDD multi-frequency antenna arrays and TDD smart antenna arrays together vertically will not only fail to shorten the length of the fused antenna, but also degrade the radiation pattern performance of both arrays due to crosstalk between them. This fails to achieve the goal of reducing the overall antenna size while ensuring good signal coverage through "fusion." This invention utilizes a dual-frequency combiner and an ultra-wideband radiating element to multiplex some radiating elements of the FDD and TDD arrays, achieving a shorter antenna length without compromising gain. This invention is compatible with other publicly available compact, high-gain multi-frequency smart fused antenna technologies. That is, this invention can be used alone to shorten the fused antenna length and improve gain, or it can be combined with other methods to further shorten the antenna length or increase the gain of the FDD and TDD antenna arrays. The difference between this invention and previously disclosed combiner-based element multiplexing array methods lies in the following: This invention utilizes the difference in operating frequencies between FDD and TDD, and uses a high-performance combiner with low loss and high out-of-band suppression to enable the sharing of some radiating elements between the FDD and TDD arrays, achieving "fusion" between the two. This shortens the antenna length while ensuring that the gain of the FDD and TDD arrays remains essentially unchanged. In contrast, currently disclosed combiner-based element multiplexing applications all target the same type of array, namely, multiplexing of different frequency elements in the FDD array or the TDD array, rather than multiplexing of elements between the FDD and TDD arrays. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic of the layout structure of the compact high-gain passive multi-frequency smart antenna array described in this invention.

[0019] Figure 2 The diagram shows the connection of the combiner.

[0020] Explanation of the reference numerals in the attached figures.

[0021] 1: Reflector, 2: FDD multi-frequency antenna array, 3: TDD smart antenna array, 4: Ultra-wideband radiating element, 5: Lower end cover, 6: Connector, 7: Dual-frequency combiner. Detailed Implementation

[0022] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the directional terms such as "center", "lateral", "longitudinal", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", and "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation and positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They should not be construed as limiting the specific protection scope of this invention.

[0023] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "assembly," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can also refer to a mechanical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or a connection through an intermediate medium; or they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] In this invention, unless otherwise specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "below," and "over" the second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Above," "below," and "below" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0025] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, making the technical solution and beneficial effects of the present invention clearer and more explicit. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0027] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, a compact high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array layout includes a reflector 1, and an FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and a TDD intelligent antenna array 3 mounted on the reflector 1; characterized in that the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD intelligent antenna array 3 share a portion of the radiating elements through a dual-frequency combiner 7, and the shared radiating elements are ultra-wideband radiating elements 4 covering the operating frequency bands of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD intelligent antenna array 3.

[0029] In this embodiment, the reflector 1 is a rectangular plate, with a lower end cover 5 and a connector 6 at its lower end. The FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 are arranged in an upper and lower configuration; that is, the FDD multi-frequency array 2 is located on the upper part of the reflector 1, away from the lower end cover 5 and connector 6, while the TDD smart antenna array 3 is located on the lower part of the reflector 1, close to the lower end cover 5 and connector 6. In other embodiments, the shape of the reflector can be adjusted according to different actual needs, and the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array can be arranged in a left and right configuration, not limited to this embodiment.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, this embodiment achieves a shared use of some radiating elements between the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 through a dual-frequency combiner and an ultra-wideband radiating unit, thereby shortening the antenna length and improving the gain of the "top-down" fused antenna array layout.

[0031] This embodiment provides a compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency smart fusion antenna array layout suitable for situations where the operating frequencies of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array do not overlap. Furthermore, as the spectral spacing between the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array increases, the out-of-band rejection of the dual-frequency combiner increases, while the insertion loss decreases, resulting in better array layout implementation. It is fully applicable to multi-frequency smart fusion antennas composed of LTE-FDD 1800 arrays with operating bandwidths of 1710~1830 MHz and TDD smart antennas with operating bandwidths of 1880~2675 MHz. In actual layout, the radiating elements participating in FDD-TDD multiplexing should have an operating bandwidth of 1710~2675 MHz. If they do not have this bandwidth, they need to be replaced with the aforementioned ultra-wideband radiating elements; other FDD and TDD radiating elements not participating in multiplexing remain unchanged.

[0032] In this embodiment, the specific method of sharing radiating elements is as follows: at the junction of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3, several rows of radiating elements are multiplexed through a dual-frequency combiner 7. In other embodiments, when the two are arranged in a left-right layout, several columns of radiating elements are multiplexed, not limited to this embodiment.

[0033] In this embodiment, the preferred dual-frequency combiner 7 is a 1710~1830 MHz / 1880~2675 MHz dual-frequency combiner. The combining end is connected to the ultra-wideband radiating unit, the low-frequency end (1710~1830 MHz) is connected to the corresponding port of the FDD phase shifter, and the high-frequency end (1880~2675 MHz) is connected to the corresponding port of the TDD phase shifter. Figure 2 As shown.

[0034] To ensure the isolation between the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 meets the required specifications, the out-of-band rejection of the dual-frequency combiner 7 must be no less than 30 dB. Simultaneously, to maintain a relatively constant gain for both the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3, the insertion loss of the combiner must be no higher than 0.5 dB. Based on these requirements for low insertion loss and high out-of-band rejection, it is highly recommended to use a high-performance metal cavity combiner or a stripline combiner.

[0035] Furthermore, since the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 have different requirements for the horizontal half-power angle (e.g., FDD requires a 60° horizontal half-power angle, while the TDD FA band requires a 90° horizontal half-power angle), to ensure that the horizontal half-power angles of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 meet the standards, it is preferable that the number of radiating elements multiplexed by the dual-frequency combiner 7 in the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 does not exceed 1 / 3 of the number of radiating elements in their respective arrays. Figure 1 Taking the array shown as an example, the FDD linear array has 7 radiating elements, and the TDD linear array has 9 radiating elements. The number of multiplexed element columns should not exceed two. The overlapping area of ​​the FDD multi-frequency antenna array 2 and the TDD smart antenna array 3 is the antenna length shortened using this embodiment.

[0036] In summary, the compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array layout provided in this embodiment utilizes a dual-frequency combiner and ultra-wideband radiating elements to multiplex some radiating elements of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD intelligent antenna array, achieving the effect of shortening the antenna length without affecting the gain. Furthermore, this antenna array layout is compatible with other publicly disclosed compact, high-gain multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna technologies; that is, it can be used alone to shorten the fusion antenna length and improve the gain, or it can be combined with other methods to further shorten the antenna length or improve the gain of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD intelligent antenna array.

[0037] The difference between this invention and previously disclosed combiner-based element multiplexing array methods lies in the following: This invention utilizes the difference in operating frequencies between FDD multi-frequency antenna arrays and TDD smart antenna arrays. Through a high-performance combiner with low loss and high out-of-band rejection, it enables some radiating elements of both the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array to be shared, achieving a "fusion" between the two. This shortens the antenna length while ensuring that the gain of both the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array remains essentially unchanged. Currently disclosed combiner-based element multiplexing applications all target the same type of array, i.e., multiplexing different frequency elements of an FDD array or a TDD array, rather than multiplexing elements between FDD and TDD arrays.

[0038] Based on the above description of the structure and principles, those skilled in the art should understand that this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Improvements and substitutions made using techniques known in the art based on this invention all fall within the scope of protection of this invention, which should be defined by the claims and their equivalents. Parts not described in the specific embodiments are all prior art or common knowledge.

Claims

1. A compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array, characterized in that: It includes an FDD multi-frequency antenna array and a TDD smart antenna array assembled together. The FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array share some radiating elements through a dual-frequency combiner. The shared radiating elements are ultra-wideband radiating elements that cover the operating frequency bands of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array. There is a spectral gap between the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array. The operating bandwidth of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array is 1710~1830 MHz, and the operating bandwidth of the TDD smart antenna array is 1880~2675 MHz. At the junction of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array, several rows or columns of radiating elements are multiplexed by a combiner. The number of shared radiating elements shall not exceed 1 / 3 of the number of radiating elements in each of the FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array; The combining terminal of the dual-frequency combiner is connected to the ultra-wideband radiation unit, the low-frequency terminal is connected to the corresponding port of the FDD phase shifter, and the high-frequency terminal is connected to the corresponding port of the TDD phase shifter; the out-of-band rejection of the dual-frequency combiner is not less than 30 dB, and the insertion loss should not be higher than 0.5 dB.

2. The compact high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array are mounted on the same reflector.

3. A compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The reflector is a rectangular plate, with a lower end cover and connector at the lower end of the rectangular plate. The FDD multi-frequency antenna array and the TDD smart antenna array are arranged in an upper and lower layout.

4. A compact, high-gain passive multi-frequency intelligent fusion antenna array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dual-frequency combiner is a metal cavity combiner or a stripline combiner.

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