Oblique cross-polarized antenna array consisting of non-oblique polarized radiating elements

Abstract

A base station antenna includes first radio frequency ("RF") ports and second radio frequency ("RF") ports and a first antenna array including both first radiating elements and second radiating elements. Each of the first radiating elements includes a first radiator connected to a first RF port and configured to radiate at a first polarization and a second radiator connected to a second RF port and configured to radiate at the first polarization. Each of the second radiating elements includes a first radiator connected to the first RF port and configured to radiate at a second polarization different from the first polarization and a second radiator connected to the second RF port and configured to radiate at the second polarization.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 946,622, filed December 11, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] This invention generally relates to radio communications, and more specifically to antenna arrays for base station antennas in cellular communication systems.

[0004] Cellular communication systems are well known in the art. In a cellular communication system, a geographical area is divided into a series of areas called “cells” that are served by corresponding base stations. A base station may include one or more base station antennas configured to provide bidirectional radio frequency (“RF”) communication with mobile users within the cell served by the base station. Many cells are divided into “sectors”. In perhaps the most common configuration, a hexagonal cell is divided into three 120° sectors, and each sector is served by one or more base station antennas having an azimuth half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of approximately 65°. Typically, base station antennas are mounted on towers, where the radiation pattern (also referred to herein as an “antenna beam”) is generated by the outward-pointing base station antennas. Typically, base station antennas include multiple phased antenna arrays, each including multiple radiating elements, which are arranged in one or more vertical columns when the antenna is installed and in use. Here, “vertical” means perpendicular to the horizontal plane defined by the horizon. A phased antenna array consists of columns of radiating elements to narrow the vertical or “elevation” beamwidth of the antenna beam, which can increase the array’s gain and reduce interference to neighboring cells.

[0005] To increase the communication capacity of base stations, antenna arrays typically employ dual-polarized radiating elements. As is known to those skilled in the art, RF signals can be transmitted in various polarizations, such as horizontal, vertical, oblique, and right-handed circular polarization. Some polarizations are theoretically "orthogonal" to each other, meaning that an RF signal transmitted in one polarization will not interfere with an RF signal transmitted in orthogonal polarization, even if both signals are transmitted in the same direction at the same frequency from the same location. Examples of orthogonal polarization are vertical and horizontal polarizations or any other linear polarization pair offset from each other by 90 degrees, such as oblique polarization at -45 degrees and +45 degrees. A dual-polarized radiating element is a radiating element having a first radiator and a second radiator configured to emit RF energy in two different, generally orthogonal polarizations. In practice, RF signals exhibit some degree of interaction, but typically, RF signals transmitted in orthogonal polarization exhibit low levels of interference with each other.

[0006] Most base station antennas use tilted -45° / +45° polarized radiating elements. These radiating elements are typically implemented as so-called cross-dipole radiating elements, which include a first dipole radiator extending at an angle of -45° relative to a vertical axis when the base station antenna is installed for use, and a second dipole radiator extending at an angle of +45° relative to the vertical axis. Each dipole radiator may include a pair of dipole arms to which the RF signal to be transmitted by the dipole radiator is fed. Cross-polarized patch radiating elements transmitting with -45° and +45° polarization are also widely used. The first and second radiators of the tilted -45° / +45° polarized radiating element extend at angles of -45° and +45° relative to the vertical axis. For example, Figure 1 This is a front view of a conventional crossed dipole radiating element 10, which includes a first dipole radiator 20-1 extending at an angle of -45° relative to the vertical axis V and a second dipole radiator 20-2 extending at an angle of +45° relative to the vertical axis V. Here, when multiple similar elements are provided, they can be assigned two parts of reference numerals and referenced separately by their full reference numerals (e.g., dipole radiator 20-2), and can also be referenced jointly by the first part of their reference numerals (e.g., dipole radiator 20). Each dipole radiator 20-1, 20-2 includes corresponding pairs of dipole arms 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4 fed by corresponding first and second feed centers formed on first feed handle 22-1 and second feed handle 22-2. Current flows along the dipole arms 30, thus aligning the current flow with the corresponding desired polarization.

[0007] Another method to generate tilted -45° / +45° radiation is to simultaneously excite the first horizontal radiation arm and the second vertical radiation arm to generate -45° polarized radiation, and simultaneously excite the first horizontal radiation arm and the second vertical radiation arm to generate +45° polarized radiation. Figure 2 This is a schematic front view of a cross-dipole radiating element 50 that generates tilted -45° / +45° polarized radiation in this manner.

[0008] like Figure 2 As shown, the crossed dipole radiating element 50 includes a first dipole radiator 60-1 and a second dipole radiator 60-2. Dipole radiator 60-1 includes a first dipole arm 70-1 and a second dipole arm 70-2, which are arranged at 90° relative to each other to form an L-shaped radiator. Dipole radiator 60-2 includes a third dipole arm 70-3 and a fourth dipole arm 70-4, which are also arranged at 90° relative to each other to form a backward L-shaped radiator. Figure 2As shown, dipole radiators 60-1 and 60-2 are mounted side-by-side. So-called "stalk" printed circuit boards or other feeding structures 62-1 and 62-2 can be used to mount each dipole arm 70 at an appropriate distance in front of the reflector and feed the RF signal to the dipole arm 70. (As shown...) Figure 2 As indicated by the arrows, dipole arms 70-1 and 70-2 will form a first antenna beam with +45° polarization, while dipole arms 70-3 and 70-4 will form a second antenna beam with -45° polarization. In the depicted embodiment, each dipole arm 70 is implemented using a printed circuit board and is implemented as a so-called "masked" dipole arm 70, which is formed as a plurality of widened conductive segments 72 connected by narrow inductive traces 74. Summary of the Invention

[0009] According to various embodiments of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a first RF port; a second RF port; and a first antenna array, the first antenna array including a plurality of first radiating elements and a plurality of second radiating elements. Each of the first radiating elements includes a first radiator configured to radiate with a first polarization and connected to the first RF port and a second radiator configured to radiate with the first polarization and connected to the second RF port. Each of the second radiating elements includes a first radiator configured to radiate with a second polarization and connected to the first RF port and a second radiator configured to radiate with the second polarization and connected to the second RF port. The second polarization is different from the first polarization.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first polarization may be vertical polarization, and the second polarization may be horizontal polarization.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first antenna array may further include a feed board, and one of the first radiating elements and one of the second radiating elements may be mounted on the feed board.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first radiator may include a first radiating arm extending at an angle of approximately -45° relative to a vertical axis and a second radiating arm extending at an angle of approximately +45° relative to the vertical axis.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first radiating arm may include a first dipole arm, and the second radiating arm may include a second dipole arm. In other embodiments, the first radiating arm may be a first slot in a conductive patch, and the second radiating arm may be a second slot in the conductive patch.

[0014] In some embodiments, each first radiating element may include a first feed handle and a first radiator unit, and each second radiating element may include a second feed handle and a second radiator unit, wherein the first radiator unit and the second radiator unit are identical, the first feed handle and the second feed handle are identical, and the first feed handle is connected to the first radiator unit in a manner different from the second feed handle being connected to the second radiator unit.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first antenna array may further include a feed board, and two of the first radiating elements and one of the second radiating elements may be mounted on the feed board. In some embodiments, the feed board may be configured to supply a higher power RF signal to the second radiating element than to either of the two first radiating elements.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first antenna array may further include: a first feed plate having two of the first radiating elements and one of the second radiating elements mounted thereon; and a second feed plate having one of the first radiating elements and two of the second radiating elements mounted thereon.

[0017] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: an antenna array having: a plurality of first radiating elements, the plurality of first radiating elements including first radiators configured to transmit a corresponding first sub-component of an RF signal with a first polarization; and a plurality of second radiating elements, the plurality of second radiating elements including first radiators configured to transmit a corresponding second sub-component of the RF signal with a second polarization. The antenna array is configured such that the first sub-component and the second sub-component are combined to form a radiation pattern having a third polarization different from the first polarization and the second polarization.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first polarization may be a vertical polarization, the second polarization may be a horizontal polarization, and the third polarization is a slant polarization approximately midway between the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization.

[0019] In some embodiments, each first radiating element may further include a second radiator configured to transmit a corresponding first sub-component of the second RF signal with the first polarization, and each second radiating element may further include a second radiator configured to transmit a corresponding second sub-component of the second RF signal with the second polarization. The antenna array may be configured such that the first and second sub-components of the second RF signal are combined to form a second radiation pattern having a fourth polarization different from the first, second, and third polarizations.

[0020] According to some other embodiments of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising a reflector and an antenna array including a plurality of radiating elements extending forward from the reflector. Each radiating element has: a first radiating arm extending from a first vertical axis bisecting the radiating element at an angle of approximately -45°; a second radiating arm extending from the first vertical axis at an angle of approximately +45°; a third radiating arm extending from the first vertical axis at an angle of approximately +135°; and a fourth radiating arm extending from the first vertical axis at an angle of approximately -135°. The base station antenna further includes a first RF port connected to the first and second radiating arms of each of a first subset of the radiating elements, and connected to the second and third radiating arms of each of a second subset of the radiating elements.

[0021] In some embodiments, the base station antenna may further include a second RF port, which is connected to the third and fourth radiating arms of each of the first subset of the radiating elements, and to the first and fourth radiating arms of each of the second subset of the radiating elements.

[0022] In some embodiments, the base station antenna may further include a plurality of feed boards, wherein each feed board includes at least one of the radiating elements in the first subset and one of the radiating elements in the second subset.

[0023] In some embodiments, each of the first to fourth radiating arms may be a corresponding dipole arm or a corresponding slot in a conductive patch.

[0024] In some embodiments, each of the radiating elements may be substantially identical, and each of the radiating elements in the first subset may have a different rotational orientation relative to the radiating elements in the second subset. In some embodiments, each of the radiating elements in the first subset may be rotated approximately 90° relative to the radiating elements in the second subset.

[0025] According to further embodiments of the present invention, a feed board assembly for a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a printed circuit board including a first power divider coupled to a first RF input and a second power divider coupled to a second RF input; a first radiating element mounted to extend forward from the printed circuit board, the first radiating element having a first radiator coupled to a first output of the first power divider and a second radiator coupled to a first output of the second power divider; and a second radiating element mounted to extend forward from the printed circuit board, the second radiating element having a first radiator coupled to a second output of the first power divider and a second radiator coupled to a second output of the second power divider. The first and second radiators of the first radiating element are each configured to emit radiation having vertical polarization, and the first and second radiators of the second radiating element are each configured to emit radiation having horizontal polarization.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first radiator of the first radiating element may include a first radiating arm and a second radiating arm, the first radiating arm extending at an angle of approximately -45° relative to the vertical axis, and the second radiating arm extending at an angle of approximately +45° relative to the vertical axis.

[0027] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a first antenna array including a first radiating element having: a first radiator coupled to a first RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation; and a second radiator coupled to a second RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation; and a second antenna array including a second radiating element having: a first radiator coupled to a third RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation; and a second radiator coupled to a fourth RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation. The first radiating element is horizontally aligned with the second radiating element when the base station antenna is installed for use.

[0028] In some embodiments, the first antenna array may further include a third radiating element having a first radiator coupled to the first RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation; and a second radiator coupled to the second RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation. The second antenna array may also include a fourth radiating element having a first radiator coupled to the third RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation; and a second radiator coupled to the fourth RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation. The third radiating element may be horizontally aligned with the fourth radiating element.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first radiating element and the third radiating element may be mounted on a first feed board, and the second radiating element and the fourth radiating element may be mounted on a second feed board. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 This is a front view of a conventional cross-dipole radiating element that directly generates tilted -45° / +45° polarized radiation.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a front view of another conventional crossed dipole radiating element that uses horizontally and vertically arranged dipole arms to produce tilted -45° / +45° polarized radiation.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a schematic front view of an antenna array according to an embodiment of the present invention, including a first radiating element and a second radiating element.

[0033] Figure 4A It can be used for implementation Figure 3 A perspective view of the cross dipole radiating element of the first radiating element included in the antenna array.

[0034] Figure 4B yes Figure 4A Front view of the radiator unit of the radiating element.

[0035] Figure 4C and 4D yes Figure 4A A view of the corresponding side of one of the printed circuit boards for the feed handle of the radiating element.

[0036] Figure 5A and 5B These are the implementation options. Figure 3 Rear perspective and front view of the first radiating element and the other radiating element of the antenna array.

[0037] Figure 5C It can be used for implementation Figure 3 A front view of the radiating element of the second radiating element of the antenna array.

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic front view of an antenna array implemented using a box-type dipole radiating element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic front view of a base station antenna including two antenna arrays according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 8 It is a schematic front view of an antenna array including a feed plate with two radiating elements and a feed plate with three radiating elements.

[0041] Figure 9 This is a schematic front view of a feeder plate having an odd number of radiating elements according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0042] According to embodiments of the present invention, a tilted -45° / +45° polarized antenna array is provided, comprising radiating elements configured to emit vertically and horizontally polarized radiation. First radiating elements of the antenna array can be connected to a first feed point and a second feed point of a feed network of the antenna array. The first feed point can be connected to a first RF port, and the second feed point can be connected to a second RF port. Each first radiating element has first and second feed lines connected to the first feed point and third and fourth feed lines connected to the second feed point. The first and second feed lines excite corresponding first and second adjacent tilted radiator arms (e.g., slots, dipoles, etc.) of the first radiating element, wherein the first and second radiator arms are in-phase or out-of-phase excitation to generate a vertically polarized radiation pattern using the first and second radiators. The third and fourth feed lines excite corresponding third and fourth adjacent tilted radiator arms (e.g., slots, dipoles, etc.) of the first radiating element, wherein the third and fourth radiators are in-phase or out-of-phase excitation to generate a vertically polarized radiation pattern using the third and fourth radiator arms. Therefore, the total current flowing on each first radiating element in the antenna array flows in the vertical direction. Each second radiating element has first and second feed lines connected to a first feed point and third and fourth feed lines connected to a second feed point. The first and second feed lines excite the corresponding first and second adjacent tilted radiator arms (e.g., slots, dipoles, etc.) of the second radiating element, wherein the first and second radiators are excited in phase or out of phase to generate a horizontally polarized radiation pattern using the first and second radiator arms. The third and fourth feed lines excite the corresponding third and fourth adjacent tilted radiator arms (e.g., slots, dipoles, etc.) of the second radiating element, wherein the third and fourth radiators are excited in phase or out of phase to generate a horizontally polarized radiation pattern using the third and fourth radiator arms. Therefore, the total current flowing on each second radiating element in the antenna array flows in the horizontal direction.

[0043] The antenna array according to embodiments of the present invention can have many advantages. First, it is polarized with a tilt of -45° / +45° (see, for example...). Figure 1Conventional crossed-dipole radiating elements that radiate directly typically have a crossed feed at the center of the radiating element. This crossed arrangement increases the complexity of the feed network and can create asymmetry between the two polarizations, which can adversely affect the isolation between the two polarizations. The radiating elements used in the antenna array according to embodiments of the invention do not need to have a crossed feed arrangement, and therefore this potential problem of conventional crossed-dipole radiating elements that radiate directly with tilted -45° / +45° polarization can be avoided. Secondly, when two of these antenna arrays are mounted side by side, the antenna array according to embodiments of the invention can exhibit improved intra-array isolation.

[0044] In some embodiments of the present invention, an antenna array is provided comprising a plurality of first radiating elements and a plurality of second radiating elements. Each of the first radiating elements comprises: a first radiator radiating with a first polarization and connected to a first RF port; and a second radiator radiating with the first polarization and connected to a second RF port; and each of the second radiating elements comprises: a first radiator radiating with a second polarization and connected to the first RF port, and a second radiator radiating with a second polarization and connected to the second RF port. The RF port may be an RF port of a base station antenna. The second polarization differs from the first polarization. In some embodiments, the first polarization may be vertical polarization, and the second polarization may be horizontal polarization (or vice versa).

[0045] In other embodiments, a base station antenna is provided comprising an antenna array having multiple radiating elements. The radiating elements include: a first radiating element having a first radiator configured to transmit a corresponding first sub-component of an RF signal with a first polarization; and a second radiating element including the first radiator configured to transmit a corresponding second sub-component of an RF signal with a second polarization. The antenna array is configured such that the first sub-component and the second sub-component are combined to form a radiation pattern having a third polarization different from the first and second polarizations. For example, the first polarization may be vertical polarization, the second polarization may be horizontal polarization, and the third polarization may be oblique polarization approximately midway between the vertical and horizontal polarizations.

[0046] In other embodiments, a base station antenna is provided, comprising a reflector and an antenna array having a plurality of radiating elements extending forward from the reflector. Each radiating element in the antenna array has: a first radiating arm extending from a first vertical axis bisecting the radiating element at an angle of approximately -45°; a second radiating arm extending from the first vertical axis at an angle of approximately +45°; a third radiating arm extending from the first vertical axis at an angle of approximately +135°; and a fourth radiating arm extending from the first vertical axis at an angle of approximately -135°. A first RF port of the base station antenna is coupled to the first and second radiating arms of each of a first subset of the radiating elements, and to the second and third radiating arms of each of a second subset of the radiating elements; a second RF port is coupled to the third and fourth radiating arms of each of the first subset of the radiating elements, and to the first and fourth radiating arms of each of the second subset of the radiating elements.

[0047] In any of the above embodiments, the antenna array may include a feed plate, and at least one of the first radiating elements and at least one of the second radiating elements may be mounted on the feed plate. In some embodiments, one first radiating element and one second radiating element may be mounted on the feed plate. In other embodiments, two of the first radiating elements and one of the second radiating elements may be mounted on the feed plate. In some embodiments, the feed plate may be configured to supply a higher power RF signal to the second radiating element than to either of the two first radiating elements. In other embodiments, two of the second radiating elements and one of the first radiating elements may be mounted on the feed plate. In some embodiments, the feed plate may be configured to supply a higher power RF signal to the first radiating element than to either of the two second radiating elements. In other embodiments, the antenna array may include: a first feed plate having one of the first radiating elements and two of the second radiating elements mounted thereon; and a second feed plate having one of the second radiating elements and two of the first radiating elements mounted thereon.

[0048] In some embodiments, each first radiator may include a first radiating arm extending at an angle of approximately -45° relative to the vertical axis bisecting the radiating element and a second radiating arm extending at an angle of approximately +45° relative to the vertical axis. Each radiating arm may include, for example, a dipole arm or a slot in a conductive patch.

[0049] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a feed board assembly for a base station antenna is provided, the feed board assembly including a printed circuit board having a first power divider coupled to a first RF input and a second power divider coupled to a second RF input. A first radiating element is mounted to extend forward from the printed circuit board, the first radiating element having a first radiator coupled to a first output of the first power divider and a second radiator coupled to a first output of the second power divider. A second radiating element is also mounted to extend forward from the printed circuit board, the second radiating element having a first radiator coupled to a second output of the first power divider and a second radiator coupled to a second output of the second power divider. The first radiator and the second radiator of the first radiating element are each configured to emit radiation having vertical polarization, and the first radiator and the second radiator of the second radiating element are each configured to emit radiation having horizontal polarization.

[0050] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising a first antenna array having a first radiating element and a second antenna array having a second radiating element. The first radiating element includes: a first radiator coupled to a first RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation; and a second radiator coupled to a second RF port and also configured to emit vertically polarized radiation. The second radiating element includes: a first radiator coupled to a third RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation; and a second radiator coupled to a fourth RF port and also configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation. The first radiating element is horizontally aligned with the second radiating element when the base station antenna is installed for use.

[0051] Embodiments of the invention will now be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 3 This is a schematic front view of an antenna array 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes a first radiating element 110A and a second radiating element 110B. The radiating elements 110A and 110B can be mounted to extend forward from the reflector 102 and can be aligned along a vertically extending axis V when a base station antenna including the antenna array 100 is mounted for normal use. While the antenna array 100 includes a total of two radiating elements 110 as an example, it should be understood that each antenna array disclosed herein can include any suitable number of radiating elements based on the desired application (e.g., gain requirements, elevation beamwidth requirements, etc.), and therefore the number of radiating elements included in an antenna array can range from two to twenty or more.

[0053] The first radiating element 110A includes a first dipole radiator 120A-1 and a second dipole radiator 120A-2. The radiating element 110A is similar to the conventional radiating element 10 discussed above, but feeds the dipole arms in a different manner. Specifically, the dipole radiator 120A-1 includes a first pair of dipole arms 130A-1 and 130A-2, wherein dipole arm 130A-1 extends at an angle of -45° relative to the vertical axis V, and dipole arm 130A-2 extends at an angle of +45° relative to the vertical axis V. The dipole radiator 120A-2 includes a second pair of dipole arms 130A-3 and 130A-4, wherein dipole arm 130A-3 extends at an angle of +135° relative to the vertical axis V, and dipole arm 130A-4 extends at an angle of -135° relative to the vertical axis V. The first transmission line (not visible in the figure) can be used to feed RF signals from the first RF port to dipole arms 130A-1 and 130A-2, and the second transmission line (not visible in the figure) can be used to feed RF signals from the second RF port to dipole arms 130A-3 and 130A-4. Dipole arms 130A-1 and 130A-2 are fed in-phase or out-of-phase relative to each other. Similarly, dipole arms 130A-3 and 130A-4 are fed in-phase or out-of-phase relative to each other.

[0054] like Figure 3 As indicated by arrows 132A-1 and 132A-2, when an RF signal is input to the first transmission line, current flows outward along dipole arms 130A-1 and 130A-2. When the same RF signal is fed to dipole arms 130A-1 and 130A-2 based on the superposition principle, the effective direction of the current on dipole radiator 120A-1 (which includes dipole arms 130A-1 and 130A-2) is shown by arrow 134A-1. Arrow 134A-1 extends upward along the vertical axis V, indicating that the RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120A-1 has vertical polarization. Similarly, feeding the same RF signal to dipole arms 130A-3 and 130A-4 causes current to flow on dipole arms 130A-3 and 130A-4, as indicated by arrows 132A-3 and 132A-4. Therefore, the effective direction of the current in the dipole radiator 120A-2 (indicated by the arrow labeled 134A-2) extends downward along the vertical axis V, indicating that the RF signal emitted by the dipole radiator 120A-2 has vertical polarization. Thus, the radiating element 110A is configured to emit a pair of vertically polarized RF signals.

[0055] The second radiating element 110B similarly includes a first dipole radiator 120B-1 and a second dipole radiator 120B-2. Radiating element 110B is similar to radiating element 110A, but feeds the dipole arms in a different manner. Specifically, dipole radiator 120B-1 includes a first pair of dipole arms 130B-2, 130B-3, wherein dipole arm 130B-2 extends at an angle of +45° relative to the vertical axis V, and dipole arm 130B-3 extends at an angle of +135° relative to the vertical axis V. Dipole radiator 120B-2 includes a second pair of dipole arms 130B-4, 130B-1, wherein dipole arm 130B-4 extends at an angle of -135° relative to the vertical axis V, and dipole arm 130B-1 extends at an angle of -45° relative to the vertical axis V. The first transmission line (not visible in the diagram) is used to feed RF signals from the first RF port to dipole arms 130B-2 and 130B-3, and the second transmission line (not visible in the diagram) is used to feed RF signals from the second RF port to dipole arms 130B-4 and 130B-1. Dipole arms 130B-2 and 130B-3 are fed in-phase or out-of-phase relative to each other. Similarly, dipole arms 130B-4 and 130B-1 are fed in-phase or out-of-phase relative to each other.

[0056] like Figure 3 As indicated by arrows 132B-2 and 132B-3, when an RF signal is input to the first transmission line, current flows outward along dipole arms 130B-2 and 130B-3, and the effective direction of the current on dipole radiator 120B-1 (indicated by arrow 134B-1) extends at a 90° angle relative to the vertical axis V, indicating that the RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120B-1 has horizontal polarization. Similarly, as... Figure 3 As indicated by arrows 132B-4 and 132B-1, when an RF signal is input to the second transmission line, current flows outward along dipole arms 130B-4 and 130B-1, and the effective direction of the current on dipole radiator 120B-2 (indicated by arrow 134B-2) extends at an angle of -90° relative to the vertical axis V, indicating that the RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120B-2 is horizontally polarized. Therefore, radiating element 110B is configured to emit a pair of horizontally polarized RF signals.

[0057] As discussed above, dipole radiators 120A-1 and 120B-1 are connected to the same RF port and therefore radiate the same sub-components of the RF signal. Based on the superposition principle, the vertically polarized RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120A-1 of radiating element 110A is combined with the horizontally polarized RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120B-1 of radiating element 110B to provide a combined RF signal with a tilted +45° polarization. Similarly, dipole radiators 120A-2 and 120B-2 are connected to the same RF port; therefore, according to the superposition principle, the vertically polarized RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120A-2 of radiating element 110A is combined with the horizontally polarized RF signal emitted by dipole radiator 120B-2 of radiating element 110B to provide a combined RF signal with a tilted -45° polarization. Therefore, the antenna array 100 includes radiating elements 110A and 110B, each of which is designed to transmit RF signals with vertical or horizontal polarization, but the antenna array 100 as a whole will transmit RF signals with tilted -45° / +45° polarization.

[0058] Figures 4A-4D A cross-dipole radiating element 210 is shown, which can be used to implement the two radiating elements 110A and 110B included in the antenna array 100. Specifically, Figure 4A This is a perspective view of radiating element 210. Figure 4B This is a front view of the radiator unit of radiating element 210. Figure 4C This is a view of one side of the printed circuit board of one of the feed stems included in the radiating element 210A, and Figure 4D yes Figure 4B A view of the other side of the printed circuit board of the power supply handle.

[0059] like Figure 4A and 4B As shown, the radiating element 210 includes a radiating unit 212 and a feed handle 214. In the depicted embodiment, the radiating unit 212 is implemented as a printed circuit board, and the feed handle 214 is implemented as a pair of feed handle printed circuit boards 216-1 and 216-2. The radiating unit 212 includes a pair of dipole radiators 220-1 and 220-2. The dipole radiator 220-1 includes a first dipole arm 230-1 and a second dipole arm 230-2, and the dipole radiator 220-2 includes a third dipole arm 230-3 and a fourth dipole arm 230-4.

[0060] The power feed handle printed circuit boards 216-1 and 216-2 each include a vertical slot, allowing the two power feed handle printed circuit boards 216 to be joined together to form a power feed handle 214. The radiation unit printed circuit board 212 is mounted on top of the power feed handle 214.

[0061] refer to Figure 4C and 4D The feed stem printed circuit board 216-1 includes a pair of rearwardly extending tabs 240-1, 240-2 and a pair of forwardly extending tabs 242-1, 242-2. The rearwardly extending tabs 240-1, 240-2 may, for example, extend through the feed board printed circuit board of the antenna array 100 that feeds RF signals to the radiating element 210. Figure 9 The slot in the (). For example, the first rearwardly extending tab 240-1 of the feed handle printed circuit board 216-1 can be (directly or indirectly) connected to the center conductor of the first coaxial cable, which is connected to the first RF port that feeds the antenna array 100. Figure 4C As shown, the trace 246-1 of the first microstrip transmission line 244-1 is printed on the first side of the feed shank printed circuit board 216-1 and is connected to the first rearwardly extending tab 240-1. The trace 246-1 is connected to the hook balun 248-1.

[0062] refer to Figure 4D The metal pads on the second surfaces of the first rearwardly extending tab 240-1 and the second rearwardly extending tab 240-2, located on the power supply handle printed circuit board 216-1, can be (directly or indirectly) connected to the outer conductor of the first coaxial cable. Rear and front grounding planes 250-1, 250-2, 252-1, and 252-2 are printed on the second surfaces of the power supply handle printed circuit board 216-1. (See reference...) Figure 4C-4D The RF signal input of trace 246-1 is transmitted along RF transmission line 244-1 to hook balun 248-1. RF energy is split at hook balun 248-1, with about half of the RF energy flowing along ground plane 252-1 to forward extension tab 242-1, and the other half of the RF energy flowing along ground plane 252-2 to forward extension tab 242-2.

[0063] like Figure 4A and 4BAs best shown, forward-extending tabs 242-1 and 242-2 extend through a slit in the radiator unit printed circuit board 212. The metal plating on tabs 242-1 and 242-2 can be soldered to corresponding first and second input pads (not visible in the figure) located on the rear side of the radiator unit printed circuit board 212. The metal plating on tabs 242-1 and 242-2 does not extend through the slit to the top side of the radiator unit printed circuit board 212. Corresponding first and second power dividers (not visible in the figure) are also located on the rear side of the radiator unit printed circuit board 212 and are connected to the first and second input pads. The output of the first power divider feeds adjacent dipole arms 230-1 and 230-2, while the output of the second power divider feeds the other two (adjacent) dipole arms 230-3 and 230-4. The outputs of the power dividers can be connected to the corresponding dipole arms 230 via, for example, plated vias (not shown) in the radiator unit printed circuit board 212. Note that when radiating elements 110A and 110B are mounted to form antenna array 100, the same radiating element design 210 can be used to implement both radiating elements 110A and 110B of antenna array 100 by simply rotating radiating element 110B by 90 degrees relative to radiating element 110A.

[0064] The power supply handle printed circuit board 216-2 can be the same as the power supply handle printed circuit board 216-1, except that the power supply handle printed circuit board 216-1 includes a slit 249-1 extending forward from the rear edge of the printed circuit board, while the power supply handle printed circuit board 216-2 includes a slit 249-2 extending rearward from the front edge of the printed circuit board. Figure 4C and 4D In the diagram, the location of the slit 249-2 included in the power supply shank printed circuit board 216-2 is shown using dashed lines, such that... Figure 4C and 4D The power supply handle printed circuit board 216-1 or power supply handle printed circuit board 216-2 can be visually depicted.

[0065] Figure 5A and 5B These are, respectively, the rear perspective view and the front view of the radiating element 310A, which can be used alternatively for implementation. Figure 3 The radiating element is 110A. Figure 5C It can be used for implementation Figure 3 The front view of radiating element 310B of radiating element 110B. Radiating element 310B may be the same as radiating element 310A, but rotated ninety degrees relative to radiating element 310B when mounted in antenna array 100.

[0066] refer to Figure 5AThe radiating element 310A includes a radiating unit 312 and a feed handle 314. The radiating unit 312 is implemented as a printed circuit board, and the feed handle 314 is implemented as a pair of feed coaxial cables 316-1, 316-2 mounted in a dielectric mounting support 318. The radiating unit printed circuit board 312 is mounted on top of the dielectric mounting support 318 and is electrically connected to the feed coaxial cables 316-1, 316-2.

[0067] refer to Figure 5B The radiating unit 312 is implemented as a metal patch 360 formed on the rear side of the radiating unit printed circuit board 312. By removing (or omitting) a portion of the metallization, four slots 362-1 to 362-4 are formed in the metal patch 360, wherein each slot 362 extends to the outer circumference of the metal patch 360. Each slot 362 extends inward and terminates near the center of the metal patch 360.

[0068] like Figure 5B As also shown, a first power supply network 370-1 and a second power supply network 370-2 are formed on the front surface of the radiator unit printed circuit board 312. The first power supply network 370-1 is connected to a first power supply coaxial cable 316-1, and the second power supply network 370-2 is connected to a second power supply coaxial cable 316-2. The first power supply network 370-1 includes: an input pad / power divider 372-1 electrically connected to the center conductor of the first power supply coaxial cable 316-1; a first transmission line 374-1 and a second transmission line 374-2 extending from the input pad / power divider 372-1; and first and second quarter-wavelength stub terminations 376-1 and 376-2 connected to the distal ends of the respective transmission lines 374-1 and 374-2. The first transmission line 374-1 spans a first slot 362-1, where the first transmission line terminates in the first quarter-wavelength stub termination 376-1. The second transmission line 374-2 crosses the second slot 362-2, where the second transmission line terminates in the second quarter-wavelength short-line terminal 376-2. The first slot 362-1 is adjacent to the second slot 362-2.

[0069] The second power supply network 370-2 includes: an input pad / power divider 372-2 electrically connected to the center conductor of the second power supply coaxial cable 316-2; third and fourth transmission lines 374-3 and 374-4 extending from the input pad / power divider 372-2; and third and fourth quarter-wavelength short-line terminals 376-3 and 376-4 connected to the distal ends of the respective transmission lines 374-3 and 374-4. The third transmission line 374-3 crosses the third slot 362-3, wherein the third transmission line terminates in the third quarter-wavelength short-line terminal 376-3 at this end. The fourth transmission line 374-4 crosses the fourth slot 362-4, wherein the fourth transmission line terminates in the fourth quarter-wavelength short-line terminal 376-4 at this end. The third slot 362-3 is adjacent to the fourth slot 362-4.

[0070] When an RF signal is fed to slots 362-1 and 362-2 via transmission lines 374-1 and 374-2, current flows in the direction between the two adjacent slots 362-1 and 362-2 excited by the RF signal on the metal patch 360. Therefore, as Figure 5B As indicated by the arrow above, the antenna beam emitted by radiating element 310A in response to an RF signal fed to slots 362-1 and 362-2 via the first coaxial cable 316-1 will have vertical polarization. Similarly, when an RF signal is fed to two adjacent slots 362-3 and 362-4 via transmission lines 374-3 and 374-4, current flows on the metal patch 360 in the direction between the two slots 362-3 and 362-4 excited by the RF signal. Therefore, as Figure 5B As shown by the arrow below, the antenna beam emitted by the radiating element 310A in response to the RF signal fed to slots 362-3 and 362-4 via the second coaxial cable 316-2 will have vertical polarization.

[0071] like Figure 5B As shown, transmission lines 374-1 to 374-4 do not need to cross each other to feed their associated slots 362-1 to 362-4. Therefore, greater symmetry can be achieved between the first feed network 370-1 and the second feed network 370-2, which improves cross-polarization isolation. Figures 5A-5B In the embodiment, adjacent slots 362-1 and 362-2 are fed in phase. Figures 5A-5B In the embodiment, adjacent slots 362-3 and 362-4 are fed in phase. However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, slots 362-1 and 362-2 may be fed out of phase, and / or slots 362-3 and 362-4 may be fed out of phase.

[0072] like Figure 5CAs best shown, radiating element 310B may be the same as radiating element 310A, but when mounted on a reflector, it is rotated 90 degrees relative to radiating element 310A so as to emit RF radiation with a polarization offset of 90° from the polarization of the RF signal emitted by radiating element 310A.

[0073] It will be appreciated that any suitable radiating element can be used to implement the antenna array according to embodiments of the invention. For example, Figure 6 An antenna array 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown, which is formed using a box-type dipole radiating element.

[0074] like Figure 6 As shown, antenna array 400 includes alternating box-dipole radiating elements 410A and 410B. Box-dipole radiating element 410A can be configured to generate a vertically polarized radiation pattern in response to an RF signal input at a first RF port, and similarly in response to an RF signal input at a second RF port. Box-dipole radiating element 410B can be configured to generate a horizontally polarized radiation pattern in response to an RF signal input at a first RF port, and similarly in response to an RF signal input at a second RF port. Since antenna array 400 will... Figure 3 The antenna array 100 operates in the same manner, and simply uses different styles of radiating elements (and includes a larger number of radiating elements), which will be omitted here for further description.

[0075] Figure 7 This is a schematic front view of a base station antenna including two antenna arrays 500-1 and 500-2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Antenna arrays 500-1 and 500-2 use... Figures 5A-5C The radiating elements 310A and 310B are implemented.

[0076] like Figure 7 As shown, each antenna array 500-1, 500-2 includes three radiating elements 310A and three radiating elements 310B. The positions of the radiating elements 310A and 310B are reversed in the two antenna arrays 500-1, 500-2, such that each radiating element 310A in antenna array 500-1 is horizontally adjacent to the radiating element 310B in antenna array 500-2, and each radiating element 310B in antenna array 500-1 is horizontally adjacent to the radiating element 310A in antenna array 500-2. Since the radiating elements 310A and 310B transmit signals with orthogonal polarization, this arrangement can increase the degree of isolation between antenna arrays 500-1 and 500-2.

[0077] Figure 8This is a schematic front view of an antenna array 600, which includes: feed board assemblies 602-2 to 602-4 each comprising two radiating elements; and feed board assemblies 602-1 and 602-5 each comprising three radiating elements. Figure 8 As shown, the antenna array 600 includes a total of twelve radiating elements, which utilize six... Figure 5B The first radiating element 310A and six Figure 5C The second radiating element 310B is implemented. For example... Figure 8 As shown, each of the feedboard assemblies 602-2 to 602-4 includes a first radiating element 310A and a second radiating element 310B. Each feedboard assembly 602-2 to 602-4 may include a first RF input 604-1 and a second RF input 604-2. The first input 604-1 may be connected to a first RF port (not shown) of a base station antenna including the antenna array 600, and the second input 604-2 may be connected to a second RF port (not shown) of a base station antenna including the antenna array 600. Each feedboard assembly 602-2 to 602-4 also includes a first power divider 606-1 coupled to the first RF input 604-1. The first power divider 606-1 can split the RF signal received at the RF input 604-1 into two halves, supplying one half of the signal energy to the radiating element 310A and the other half of the energy to the radiating element 310B. The RF input 604 and the power divider 606 are only shown on the feedboard assembly 602-3 for the sake of simplicity. Therefore, half of the radiation emitted by, for example, the power supply assembly 602-3 in response to an RF signal input to the first RF port will have vertical polarization, and the other half will have horizontal polarization. Thus, based on the superposition principle, the radiation emitted by the power supply assembly 602-3 in response to an RF signal input to the first RF port will have -45° polarization. Similarly, half of the radiation emitted by the power supply assembly 602-3 in response to an RF signal input to the second RF port will have vertical polarization, and the other half will have horizontal polarization. Therefore, the radiation emitted by the power supply assembly 602-3 in response to an RF signal input to the second RF port will have +45° polarization.

[0078] However, since feedboard assemblies 602-1 and 602-5 each have three radiating elements, they cannot have the same number of first radiating elements 310A and second radiating elements 310B. To balance polarization, feedboard assembly 602-1 includes two first radiating elements 310A and one second radiating element 310B, while feedboard assembly 602-5 includes two second radiating elements 310B and one first radiating element 310A.

[0079] In other cases, the antenna array may have an odd number of radiating elements. In this case, refer to the above... Figure 8The described method cannot be used to ensure that the superposition of emitted RF energy produces a tilted -45° or +45° polarization. Figure 9 This is a schematic front view of a feeder board according to an embodiment of the present invention, which illustrates alternative methods that can be used to achieve tilted -45° or tilted +45° polarization.

[0080] like Figure 9 As shown, the RF signal input at input 704-1 is split into two equal parts by a first power divider 706-1. The first output of the first power divider 706-1 is fed to a second radiating element 310B, while the second output of the first power divider 706-1 is input to a third power divider 706-3, which in turn divides the input power equally. Then, the output of the third power divider 706-3 is fed to the corresponding first radiating element 310A. In this way, equal amounts of RF energy are output with vertical and horizontal polarization, resulting in a tilted -45° polarized signal. Similarly, the RF signal input at input 704-2 is split into two equal parts by a second power divider 706-2. The first output of the second power divider 706-2 is fed to a second radiating element 310B, while the second output of the second power divider 706-2 is input to a fourth power divider 706-4, which in turn divides the input power equally. Then, the output of the fourth power divider 706-4 is fed to the corresponding first radiating element 310A. In this way, equal amounts of RF energy are output with vertical and horizontal polarization, resulting in a tilted +45° polarized signal.

[0081] Embodiments of the invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are illustrated. However, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Throughout the text, the same numerals denote the same elements.

[0082] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the invention, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0083] It will be understood that when an element is described as being “on” another element, that element may be directly on the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. Conversely, when an element is described as being “directly on” another element, there are no intermediate elements. It will also be understood that when an element is described as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, that element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. Conversely, when an element is described as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intermediate elements. Other terms used to describe relationships between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (i.e., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

[0084] Relative terms, such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical”, may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device other than those depicted in the drawings.

[0085] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” and / or “having” as used herein mean the presence of the stated features, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0086] All aspects and elements of the embodiments disclosed above may be combined in any way and / or combined with aspects or elements of other embodiments to provide multiple additional embodiments.

Claims

1. A base station antenna, comprising: First radio frequency (RF) port; Second RF port; A first antenna array includes a plurality of first radiating elements and a plurality of second radiating elements, wherein one first radiating element and a corresponding second radiating element are adjacent to each other, and one first radiating element is not adjacent to another first radiating element, and one second radiating element is not adjacent to another second radiating element. Each of the first radiating elements includes a first radiator configured to radiate with a first polarization and connected to a first RF port, and a second radiator configured to radiate with the first polarization and connected to a second RF port. The radiation polarization directions of the first radiator and the second radiator of the first radiating element extend along the same straight line. Similarly, each of the second radiating elements includes a first radiator configured to radiate with a second polarization and connected to the first RF port, and a second radiator configured to radiate with the second polarization and connected to the second RF port. The radiation polarization directions of the first radiator and the second radiator of the second radiating element extend along the same straight line. The second polarization is different from the first polarization.

2. The base station antenna according to claim 1, wherein the first polarization is vertical polarization and the second polarization is horizontal polarization.

3. The base station antenna according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna array further includes a feed board, and wherein one of the first radiating elements and one of the second radiating elements are mounted on the feed board.

4. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first radiator comprises a first radiating arm extending at an angle of -45º relative to the vertical axis and a second radiating arm extending at an angle of +45º relative to the vertical axis.

5. The base station antenna according to claim 4, wherein the first radiating arm includes a first dipole arm, and the second radiating arm includes a second dipole arm.

6. The base station antenna according to claim 4, wherein the first radiating arm includes a first slot in the conductive patch, and the second radiating arm includes a second slot in the conductive patch.

7. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each first radiating element comprises a first feed handle and a first radiator unit, and each second radiating element comprises a second feed handle and a second radiator unit, wherein, The first radiator unit and the second radiator unit are identical, and the first feed handle and the second feed handle are identical, but the first feed handle is connected to the first radiator unit differently from the second feed handle which is connected to the second radiator unit.

8. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein the first antenna array further comprises a feed board, and wherein a second radiating element, one of the two first radiating elements and the second radiating element, is mounted on the feed board.

9. The base station antenna of claim 8, wherein the feed board is configured to supply a higher power RF signal to the second radiating element than to any one of the two first radiating elements in the first radiating element.

10. The base station antenna according to claim 1, wherein the first antenna array further comprises: A first feed board, the first feed board having a second radiating element among two first radiating elements and a second radiating element mounted thereon; And a second feed board, the second feed board having one of the first radiating elements and two of the second radiating elements mounted thereon.

11. A base station antenna, comprising: An antenna array comprising: a plurality of first radiating elements, the plurality of first radiating elements including first radiators configured to transmit a corresponding first sub-component of a radio frequency (RF) signal with a first polarization; and a plurality of second radiating elements, the plurality of second radiating elements including first radiators configured to transmit a corresponding second sub-component of the RF signal with a second polarization, wherein the radiating polarization directions of all the first radiators of the first radiating elements extend along a straight line, and the radiating polarization directions of all the first radiators of the second radiating elements extend along a straight line, one first radiating element being adjacent to a corresponding second radiating element, one first radiating element not being adjacent to another first radiating element, and one second radiating element not being adjacent to another second radiating element, wherein the antenna array is configured such that the first sub-component and the second sub-component are combined to form a radiation pattern having a third polarization different from the first polarization and the second polarization.

12. The base station antenna of claim 11, wherein the first polarization is vertical polarization, the second polarization is horizontal polarization, and the third polarization is oblique polarization intermediate between the vertical polarization and the horizontal polarization.

13. The base station antenna of claim 11, wherein each first radiating element further includes a second radiator configured to transmit a corresponding first sub-component of the second RF signal with the first polarization, and each second radiating element further includes a second radiator configured to transmit a corresponding second sub-component of the second RF signal with the second polarization, wherein the antenna array is configured such that the first sub-component and the second sub-component of the second RF signal are combined to form a second radiation pattern having a fourth polarization different from the first polarization, the second polarization, and the third polarization.

14. The base station antenna of claim 11, wherein each first radiator of the first radiating element comprises a first radiating arm and a second radiating arm, and each first radiator of the second radiating element comprises a first radiating arm and a second radiating arm.

15. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the first radiating arm of the first radiator of the first radiating element extends at an angle of -45º relative to the vertical axis, and the second radiating arm of the first radiator of the first radiating element extends at an angle of +45º relative to the vertical axis.

16. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the antenna array further comprises a feed board, and wherein one of the first radiating elements and one of the second radiating elements are mounted on the feed board.

17. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein each first radiating element includes a first feed handle and a first radiator unit, and each second radiating element includes a second feed handle and a second radiator unit, wherein the first radiator unit and the second radiator unit are identical, the first feed handle and the second feed handle are identical, and the first feed handle is connected differently from the second feed handle which is connected to the second radiator unit.

18. The base station antenna according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the antenna array further comprises a feed board, and wherein a second radiating element, one of the two first radiating elements and the second radiating element, is mounted on the feed board.

19. A base station antenna, comprising: A first antenna array, the first antenna array including a first radiating element, the first radiating element having: a first radiator coupled to a first radio frequency (RF) port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation; And a second radiator connected to a second RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation, wherein the radiation polarization direction of the first radiator of the first radiating element and the radiation polarization direction of the second radiator of the first radiating element extend along the same straight line; The second antenna array includes a second radiating element, the second radiating element having: a first radiator coupled to a third RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation; and a second radiator connected to a fourth RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation, wherein the radiation polarization direction of the first radiator of the second radiating element and the radiation polarization direction of the second radiating element extend along the same straight line. One of the first radiating elements is adjacent to a corresponding second radiating element, and the first radiating element is not adjacent to the other first radiating element, and the second radiating element is not adjacent to the other second radiating element. When the base station antenna is installed for use, the first radiating element and the second radiating element are horizontally aligned.

20. The base station antenna of claim 19, wherein the first antenna array further comprises a third radiating element having a first radiator coupled to a first RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation; and a second radiator connected to the second RF port and configured to emit horizontally polarized radiation, and The second RF array includes a fourth radiating element having a first radiator coupled to the third RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation; And a second radiator connected to the fourth RF port and configured to emit vertically polarized radiation. The third radiating element is horizontally aligned with the fourth radiating element.

21. The base station antenna of claim 20, wherein the first radiating element and the third radiating element are mounted on a first feed board, and the second radiating element and the fourth radiating element are mounted on a second feed board.

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