Systems, apparatuses, and methods using two-stage beam steering

Abstract

An antenna array is provided having a plurality of antenna elements, one or more first beam steering components, and one or more second beam steering components. The plurality of antenna oscillators are divided into one or more antenna groups, and each antenna group comprises one or more antenna oscillators. Each of the one or more first beam guiding components is connected to one of the one or more antenna elements to guide a signal beam along a first plane, and each of the one or more first beam guiding components is connected to one of the one or more antenna elements. Each of the one or more second beam steering components is connected to one of the one or more antenna groups to steer the signal beam along a second plane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless systems, devices, and methods using beam steering, and more particularly to wireless systems, devices, and methods using two-stage beam steering to form signal beams. Background Art

[0002] Beamforming is widely used in various applications, including wireless communications and radar. As those skilled in the art understand, beamforming involves sending wireless signals in a specific direction or device by forming a beam toward that direction or device, rather than sending wireless signals in all directions.

[0003] Typically, beamforming uses multiple antennas to form a signal beam. Among various beamforming techniques, beamsteering is a beamforming technique that steers or changes the direction of a signal beam by changing the phase of the input signal at each transmit antenna. For example, many millimeter-wave (mmWave) wireless applications require beamsteering. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: controlling one or more antenna elements in each antenna group in one or more antenna groups to direct a signal beam along a first plane; and controlling the one or more antenna groups to direct the signal beam along a second plane.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first plane is an elevation plane and the second plane is an azimuth plane.

[0006] In some embodiments, the first plane is perpendicular to the second plane.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first plane is one of an elevation plane and an azimuth plane, and the second plane is the other of the elevation plane and the azimuth plane.

[0008] In some embodiments, controlling the one or more antenna elements in each of the one or more antenna groups to guide the signal beam along the first plane includes: using one or more first phase shifters, one or more first beam switches, or one or more first waveguides to control the one or more antenna elements in each of the one or more antenna groups to guide the signal beam along the first plane; and / or controlling the one or more antenna groups to guide the signal beam along the second plane includes: using one or more second phase shifters, one or more second beam switches, or one or more second waveguides to control the one or more antenna groups to guide the signal beam along the second plane.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, an antenna array is provided, comprising: a plurality of antenna elements, which are divided into one or more antenna groups, each antenna group comprising one or more antenna elements; a plurality of first beam steering components, each first beam steering component being connected to one antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements to guide a signal beam along a first plane; and one or more second beam steering components, each second beam steering component being connected to one antenna group among the one or more antenna groups to guide the signal beam along a second plane.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first plane is an elevation plane and the second plane is an azimuth plane.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first plane is perpendicular to the second plane.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first plane is one of an elevation plane and an azimuth plane, and the second plane is the other of the elevation plane and the azimuth plane.

[0013] In some embodiments, the one or more first beam directing components include one or more first phase shifters, one or more first beam switches, or one or more first waveguides; and / or the one or more second beam directing components include one or more second phase shifters, one or more second beam switches, or one or more second waveguides.

[0014] In some embodiments, the antenna array further includes: one or more first circuit structures, including the multiple antenna elements and the one or more first beam steering components; and at least one second circuit structure, coupled to the one or more first circuit structures, and including the one or more second beam steering components.

[0015] In some embodiments, the at least one second circuit structure includes at least one second circuit board.

[0016] In some embodiments, the at least one second circuit board includes a plurality of components connected to the at least one second circuit board using wire bond packaging, flip chip packaging, and / or wire bond ball-grid array (BGA) packaging.

[0017] In some embodiments, the at least one second circuit board is coupled to the third circuit board using a BGA package.

[0018] In some embodiments, the at least one second circuit board includes a plurality of transmitters and / or receivers.

[0019] In some embodiments, the at least one second circuit board includes a heat sink; the heat sink and the plurality of transmitters and / or receivers are located on opposite sides of the at least one second circuit board.

[0020] In some embodiments, the one or more first circuit structures include a plurality of first circuit structures that are spaced apart from each other and parallel to each other.

[0021] In some embodiments, a distance between each pair of adjacent first circuit structures of the plurality of first circuit structures is λ / 2, where λ is the wavelength of the signal beam.

[0022] In some embodiments, the plurality of first circuit structures are separated by one or more spacers.

[0023] In some embodiments, the plurality of first circuit structures are coupled to one side of the at least one second circuit structure in a direction perpendicular to the at least one second circuit structure.

[0024] In some embodiments, the plurality of first circuit structures are coupled to the one side of the at least one second circuit structure via RF connectors, substrate-integrated waveguides (SIWs), and / or soldering.

[0025] In some embodiments, the plurality of first circuit structures have rectangles of the same size, semicircles of the same size, or semicircles of different sizes.

[0026] In some embodiments, the plurality of first circuit structures are coupled to one end of the at least one second circuit structure.

[0027] In some embodiments, the one or more first circuit structures are coupled to the one end of the at least one second circuit structure in a direction perpendicular to the at least one second circuit structure.

[0028] In some embodiments, the one or more first circuit structures are coupled to the one end of the at least one second circuit structure via a plurality of end launch connector assemblies.

[0029] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of end launch connector assemblies includes a first end launch connector coupled to one of the one or more first circuit structures, a second end launch connector coupled to one of the at least one second circuit structures, and a transition block for securing the first end launch connector and the second end launch connector together.

[0030] In some embodiments, the antenna array further comprises an extension board, and the transition blocks of the plurality of end-launch connector assemblies are mounted on the extension board.

[0031] In some embodiments, the at least one second circuit structure includes two second circuit boards parallel to each other.

[0032] In some embodiments, the two second circuit boards are used to steer signal beams of different polarizations.

[0033] In some embodiments, the plurality of antenna elements include multiple groups of antenna elements for directing signal beams of different frequencies.

[0034] In some embodiments, the multiple groups of antenna elements are staggered on the one or more first circuit structures.

[0035] In some embodiments, the one or more first circuit structures include one or more first circuit boards.

[0036] In some embodiments, the one or more first circuit structures include one or more waveguides.

[0037] In some embodiments, the one or more first circuit structures include one or more waveguides coupled to a plurality of stacked circuit boards. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of a communication system provided for some embodiments of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of a base station of a communication network of the communication system shown in FIG;

[0040] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of a user equipment (UE) of a communication system shown in FIG.

[0041] Figure 4A A simplified schematic diagram illustrating an example of a base station forming multiple beams for transmitting wireless signals to multiple UEs;

[0042] Figure 4B A simplified schematic diagram illustrating an example of a base station using beam scanning to cover a large geographic area and support a large number of UEs;

[0043] FIG5 is a simplified schematic diagram showing a conventional phased array for beamforming and beam steering, wherein the phased array may be Figure 2 A portion of the base station shown in Figure 3 A portion of the UE shown in ;

[0044] Figure 6 A simplified schematic diagram illustrating a two-stage antenna array using two-stage beam steering is provided for some embodiments of the present invention, where the phased array may be Figure 2 The part of the base station shown in Figure 3 A portion of a UE shown in ;

[0045] Figure 7A To show Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an example of a two-stage phased array in the form of a planar phased array shown in , wherein the two-stage phased array includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a matrix on the yz plane;

[0046] Figure 7B for Figure 7A The coordinate system used in

[0047] Figure 8A and Figure 8B is a graph illustrating the antenna gain distribution of the conventional phased array shown in FIG5 , wherein its phase is steered to an azimuth angle φ=60° and a complementary elevation angle θ=30°;

[0048] Figure 9A and Figure 9B Shown Figure 7A Graph of antenna gain distribution of the antenna group of the two-stage phased array shown in , wherein its signal beam is directed to θ=30° in the elevation plane (i.e., the xz plane);

[0049] Figure 9C Shown Figure 9A and Figure 9B The antenna group used in , wherein the antenna group includes antenna elements along the z-axis;

[0050] Figure 10A and Figure 10B To show the Figure 7A The antenna gain distribution curve of the antenna element of the y-axis of the two-stage phased array shown in FIG, wherein its phase is guided to φ = 60° in the azimuth plane (ie, the xy plane), which can represent Figure 7A The antenna gain of the antenna group shown in , where its phase is directed to φ = 60° in the xy plane;

[0051] Figure 10C Shown in Figure 10A and Figure 10B Antenna element used in;

[0052] Figure 11A To show Figure 11D A graph of antenna gain distribution of a conventional 3D guided planar phased array shown in FIG;

[0053] Figure 11B To show Figure 11E A graph of the antenna gain product of the antenna group shown in ;

[0054] Figure 11C To show Figure 11B The antenna gain product shown in Figure 11A A graph showing the dB difference between the antenna gains shown in FIG.

[0055] Figure 11D Shown in Figure 11A Conventional planar phased arrays used in;

[0056] Figure 11E Shown Figure 9C and Figure 10C The antenna group shown in;

[0057] 12A to 12D To show Figure 7A Graph of the effect of phase quantization of a two-stage phased array shown in FIG for beam steering at θ = 30° in the elevation plane, where

[0058] Figure 12A shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized into three (3) bits,

[0059] Figure 12B shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized into two (2) bits,

[0060] Figure 12C shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized to one (1) bit,

[0061] Figure 12D Shown 12A to 12C Antenna gain comparison of the three quantization methods shown in;

[0062] 13A to 13D To show Figure 7A Graph of the effect of phase quantization of a two-stage phased array shown in FIG for beam steering at θ = 15° in the elevation plane, where

[0063] Figure 13A shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized into three (3) bits;

[0064] Figure 13B shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized into two (2) bits;

[0065] Figure 13C shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized to one (1) bit,

[0066] Figure 13D Shown 13A to 13C Antenna gain comparison of the three quantization methods shown in;

[0067] Figure 14 Shown in elevation Figure 7A Performance curve of two-bit phase quantization of a two-stage phased array shown in;

[0068] Figure 15A A schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array using a blade antenna structure and having multiple blades coupled to a motherboard, as shown in FIG. 5A , provided for some embodiments of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 15B for Figure 15A A schematic cross-sectional view of a two-stage phased array is shown in FIG.

[0070] Figure 16 Some embodiments of the present invention provide Figure 15A Schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the blade board of the two-stage phased array using phase shifters shown in FIG;

[0071] Figure 17 Other embodiments of the present invention provide Figure 15A Schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the blade board of the two-stage phased array using beam switches shown in FIG;

[0072] Figure 18 FIG5A is a schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array using a blade antenna structure and having a plurality of blades coupled to a motherboard, provided for some other embodiments of the present invention, wherein the blades are semicircular in shape with the same size, so that the collection of blades of the two-stage phased array is semi-cylindrical in shape;

[0073] Figure 19 FIG5A is a schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array using a blade antenna structure and having a plurality of blades coupled to a motherboard, provided for still other embodiments of the present invention, wherein the blades are semicircular in shape with different sizes, and the collection of blades of the two-stage phased array is hemispherical in shape;

[0074] Figure 20A A schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array using a blade antenna structure and having multiple blades coupled to a motherboard, as shown in FIG. 5A , is provided for some other embodiments of the present invention;

[0075] Figure 20B for Figure 20A A schematic plan view of a motherboard of a two-stage phased array shown in FIG.

[0076] Figure 20C Exemplary control circuitry connected to a motherboard for controlling the motherboard and a blade board for beam steering is provided for some other embodiments of the present invention;

[0077] Figure 21 A schematic exploded perspective view of a single-polarization two-stage phased array shown in FIG. 5A is provided for some other embodiments of the present invention;

[0078] Figure 22 A schematic exploded perspective view of a dual-polarization two-stage phased array shown in FIG. 5A is provided for further embodiments of the present invention;

[0079] Figure 23 A schematic perspective view of an exemplary dual-band interleaved (26 gigahertz (GHz) and 39 GHz) two-stage phased array shown in FIG. 5A is provided for further embodiments of the present invention;

[0080] Figure 24 A schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array for forming and steering a 72 GHz signal beam, shown in FIG. 5A , provided for some embodiments of the present invention, wherein the plurality of blades include a plurality of waveguides;

[0081] Figure 25 for Figure 24 Schematic diagram of the waveguide from the motherboard to the blade plate requiring a twisted structure as shown in FIG;

[0082] Figure 26 Schematic diagram of a waveguide transition from a motherboard to a blade that does not require a twist structure for some embodiments of the present invention;

[0083] Figure 27 5A is a schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array for forming and steering a 72 GHz signal beam, wherein the transition from the main board to the blade waveguide does not require a twist structure, according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0084] Figure 28 A schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array for forming and guiding a 72 GHz signal beam shown in FIG. 5A is provided for some other embodiments of the present invention, wherein the transition of the waveguide from the main board to the blade board does not require a twist structure according to some embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0085] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to wireless systems, devices, and methods for forming signal beams using two-stage beam steering. The wireless systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein may be any suitable systems, devices, and methods for transmitting wireless signals using signal beams. Examples of such systems, devices, and methods may be fifth-generation (5G) or sixth-generation (6G) wireless mobile communication systems, devices, and methods; systems (WI-FI is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, Austin, Texas, U.S.A.), devices and methods; radar systems, devices, and methods; imaging systems, devices and methods; and the like.

[0086] As mentioned above, beamforming and beamsteering are often used in wireless systems to form and steer signal beams. For example, a phased array can be used to steer a signal beam by using multiple phase shifters to change the phase of an input signal across multiple antenna elements. However, in many applications using a large number of antenna elements, a large number of phase shifters are often required for beam steering, and controlling such a large number of phase shifters can become complex.

[0087] Disclosed herein is a two-stage antenna array (e.g., a two-stage phased array) that can be used in various wireless systems to form and steer signal beams in 3D space, simplifying the control of phase offsets for a large number of antenna elements, significantly improving output performance, and reducing costs. In various embodiments, the two-stage antenna array also offers other advantages, as described in more detail below.

[0088] A two-stage antenna array includes multiple antenna elements divided into one or more antenna groups or subarrays. Each antenna element is functionally coupled to a phase shifter (referred to as an "element phase shifter") for steering a signal beam along a first plane. Each antenna group is also functionally coupled to a phase shifter (referred to as a "group phase shifter") for steering a signal beam along a second plane. In some embodiments, the first and second planes are orthogonal to each other.

[0089] Therefore, the two-stage antenna array disclosed in this article achieves an array factor product (ie, the product of the array factor of each antenna group and the array factor of the antenna group) similar to the array factor of a traditional phased array.

[0090] In some embodiments, instead of using element phase shifters, the two-stage antenna array disclosed herein may use beam switches (denoted as "element beam switches") to control the antenna elements in each antenna group to steer a signal beam along a first plane.

[0091] In some embodiments, instead of using group phase shifters, the two-stage antenna array disclosed herein may use beam switches (denoted as "group beam switches") to control the antenna groups to steer signal beams along the second plane.

[0092] In some embodiments, the two-stage antenna array disclosed herein may use a blade antenna structure to obtain additional space for various components and simplify implementation. By using the blade antenna structure, the two-stage antenna array disclosed herein may include a primary radio-frequency (RF) circuit structure, such as a primary RF circuit board (also represented as a "motherboard") and one or more secondary RF circuit structures, such as one or more secondary RF circuit boards coupled to the motherboard (also represented as "blade boards" hereinafter). The blade board is configured to guide the signal beam in a first dimension (i.e., along a first plane such as an elevation plane or an azimuth plane), and the motherboard is configured to guide the signal beam in a second dimension (i.e., along a second plane such as an azimuth plane or an elevation plane).

[0093] In some embodiments, the blade board is coupled to one end of the motherboard via a plurality of end-launch connector assemblies.

[0094] In some embodiments, the blade includes a microstrip-line (MSL) transducer for implementing the antenna element.

[0095] In some other embodiments, the blade includes a waveguide for implementing the antenna element to reduce high frequency losses associated with the feed network.

[0096] In some embodiments, the blade is orthogonal to the motherboard.

[0097] In some embodiments, the blade is parallel to the motherboard.

[0098] The main differences between the two-stage antenna array disclosed in the present invention and reference [1] are:

[0099] Unlike the two-stage antenna array disclosed in this paper, reference [1] only uses beam switching and does not include a phased array, which is essential for better resolution, calibration, and lower loss;

[0100] The two-stage antenna array disclosed in this paper strategically optimizes the location of active components;

[0101] The two-stage antenna array disclosed herein can use waveguides for implementing the antenna elements to reduce high-frequency losses associated with the feed network;

[0102] The two-stage antenna array disclosed herein includes one or more radiators and controls at optimal locations;

[0103] The two-stage antenna array disclosed in this article can be used to form and steer single-polarized beams or dual-polarized beams, which are important requirements in 6G base stations;

[0104] The two-stage antenna array disclosed in this paper is more compact due to the careful selection of the position and angle of the control board, which is very important for base stations.

[0105] In the following subsections, a wireless communication system is described as an example to illustrate the two-stage antenna array and two-stage beam steering.

[0106] A. System Structure

[0107] Now turn Figure 1 , shows a communication system provided by some embodiments of the present invention and is generally identified by the reference numeral 100. The communication system 100 enables multiple UEs 114 to transmit data and other content, and can provide content (e.g., voice, data, video, text, etc.) via broadcast, multicast, unicast, UE-to-UE, etc. The communication system 100 enables multiple access by multiple UEs 114 by efficiently sharing communication resources such as time, frequency, and / or space resources among the UEs 114.

[0108] In these embodiments, the communication system 100 includes two RANs 102A and 102B (each generally referred to as a RAN 102 and collectively referred to as RAN 102) connected to a core network 104, either directly or indirectly (e.g., via the Internet 108). The core network 104 can communicate with one or more communication networks, such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 106, the Internet 108, and / or other networks 110. The PSTN 106 can include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 108 can include a network of computers and / or subnets (intranets) and can include protocols such as the Internet Protocol (IP), the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

[0109] The RANs 102A and 102B communicate with the UE 114 to enable the UE 114 to operate and / or communicate in the communication system 100, or more specifically, to communicate with the core network 104, the PSTN 106, the Internet 108, other networks 110, or any combination thereof. The RAN 102 and / or the core network 104 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by the core network 104 and may or may not employ the same radio access technology as the RAN 102A and / or the RAN 102B. The core network 104 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) the RANs 102 and / or the UEs 114 and (ii) other networks (e.g., the PSTN 106, the Internet 108, and other networks 110).

[0110] Each RAN 102 includes one or more base stations 112 and is configured to wirelessly connect to one or more UEs 114 to enable access to any other base stations 112, the core network 104, the PSTN 106, the Internet 108, and / or other networks 110. The base stations 112 and UEs 114 may be considered herein as different types of network nodes (or simply "nodes") of the communication system 100. The base stations 112, also referred to as radio access nodes (RAN nodes), form part of the RAN 102, which may include other base stations 112, base station controllers (BSCs), radio network controllers (RNCs), relay nodes, elements, and / or devices. The base station 112 may include or may be any suitable form of equipment, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a home eNodeB, a gNodeB or a gNB (next generation NodeB, sometimes referred to as a "gigabit" NodeB), a transmission point (TP), a transmission and reception point (TRP), a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. The base station 112 may also be referred to herein as a RAN node. In addition, the base station 112 may be a single element, such as Figure 1As shown, or including multiple elements distributed in the corresponding RAN 102. Each base station 112 transmits and / or receives wireless signals within a specific geographic area or area (sometimes referred to as a "cell" or "coverage area"). The cell can be further divided into cell sectors, and the base station 112 can, for example, use multiple transmit modules, receive modules and / or transceivers (which are generally a combination of transmit modules and receive modules) to provide service to multiple sectors. In some embodiments, there may be established pico cells or femto cells, and the radio access technology supports these cells. In some embodiments, multiple transceivers can be used for each cell using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, etc. Figure 1 The number of RANs 102 shown is for exemplary purposes only. Any number of RANs 102 may be considered when designing the communication system 100.

[0111] Figure 2 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of base station 112. As shown, base station 112 includes at least one processing unit 142, at least one transmit (TX) module 144, at least one receive (RX) module 146 (collectively referred to as a transceiver), one or more antennas 148, at least one memory 150, and one or more input / output components or interfaces 152. A scheduler 154 may be coupled to processing unit 142. Scheduler 154 may be included within base station 112 or may operate separately from base station 112.

[0112] The processing unit 142 is configured to perform various processing operations, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other suitable functions. The processing unit 142 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, an FPGA, an ASIC, etc. In some embodiments, the processing unit 142 may execute computer-executable instructions or code stored in the memory 150 to perform the various processes (or methods) described below.

[0113] Each TX module 144 may include any suitable structure for generating signals, such as control signals described in detail below, for wireless transmission to one or more UEs 114 or other devices. Each RX module 146 may include any suitable structure for processing signals wirelessly received from one or more UEs 114 or other devices. Although shown as separate components, at least one TX module 144 and at least one RX module 146 may be integrated and implemented as a transceiver. Each antenna 148 may include any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals. Although the common antenna 148 is Figure 2146 , but one or more antennas 148 may be coupled to the TX module 144 and one or more separate antennas 148 may be coupled to the RX module 146 .

[0114] Each memory 150 may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, an optical disk, a SIM card, a solid-state memory, a memory stick, an SD memory card, and / or the like. The memory 150 may be used to store instructions executable by the processing unit 142, as well as data used, generated, or collected by the processing unit 142. For example, the memory 150 may store instructions for software, software systems, or software modules executable by the processing unit 142 to implement some or all of the functions and / or processes performed by the base station 112 as described herein.

[0115] Each input / output component 152 can interact with a user or other devices in the communication system 100. Each input / output device 152 can include any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, and can be, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a keypad, a keyboard, a display, a touch screen, a network communication interface, etc.

[0116] Return Reference Figure 1 The base station 112 of the RAN 102 can communicate with the UE 114 via a Uu link 118, where the Uu link 118 can be any suitable wireless communication link, such as an RF link, a microwave link, an infrared (IR) link, etc. The UE 114 can communicate with the base station 112 via the Uu link 118 using any suitable channel access method, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), etc.

[0117] The Uu link 118 may use any suitable radio access technology, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), HSPA+ (optionally including High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), or both), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A, LTE-B, IEEE 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, IS-2000, IS-95, IS-856, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), 5G New Radio (5G NR), 5G LTE-A, 5G ... Radio, 5G NR), standard or non-standard satellite Internet access technology, and / or the like. Herein, communication from the RAN 102 or its base station 112 to the UE 114 is denoted as downlink (DL) communication, and communication from the UE 114 to the RAN 102 or its base station 112 is denoted as uplink (UL) communication. Thus, a channel for downlink communication is a DL channel, and a channel for uplink communication is a UL channel.

[0118] As used herein, UE 114 may be any suitable wireless device that can join the communication system 100 via RAN 102 for wireless operation. In various embodiments, UE 114 may be a wireless electronic device used by a human or user, such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop, a desktop computer, a tablet, a smartwatch, a consumer electronic device, etc. UE 114 may also be a wireless sensor, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a robot, a shopping cart, a vehicle, a smart TV, a smart appliance, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, or a machine type communication (MTC) device. Depending on the implementation, UE 114 may move autonomously or under direct or remote control of a human, or may be positioned at a fixed location.

[0119] In some embodiments, the UE 114 may be a multi-mode wireless electronic device capable of operating according to multiple radio access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these radio access technologies.

[0120] In addition, some or all of the UEs 114 include functionality to communicate with different wireless devices and / or wireless networks over different wireless links using different wireless technologies and / or protocols. Instead of (or in addition to) wireless communication, the UEs 114 may communicate with other devices or switches (not shown) and with the Internet 108 over wired communication channels. For example, Figure 1 As shown in , multiple UEs 114 (e.g., UEs 114 that are located close to each other) may communicate directly with each other via suitable wired or wireless sidelinks 120. Therefore, the wired or wireless channels of the wired or wireless sidelinks 120 are denoted as sidelink channels.

[0121] Figure 3 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a UE 114. As shown, the UE 114 includes at least one processing unit 202, at least one transceiver 204, at least one antenna or network interface controller (NIC) 206, at least one positioning module 208, one or more input / output components 210, at least one memory 212, and at least one other sidelink component 214.

[0122] The processing unit 202 is configured to perform various processing operations, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functions, to enable the UE 114 to access, participate in, and operate in the communication system 100. The processing unit 202 may also be configured to implement some or all of the functionality of the UE 114 described herein. The processing unit 202 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, an accelerator, a graphic processing unit (GPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), an FPGA, or an ASIC. An example of the processing unit 202 may be a processor manufactured by Qualcomm Incorporated in San Diego, California, USA, or a variety of other manufacturers. Made under the architecture microprocessors (ARM is a registered trademark of Arm Ltd, Cambridge, UK), Microprocessor (INTEL is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, California, U.S.A.), microprocessor (AMD is a registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, California, USA), etc. In some embodiments, processing unit 202 can execute computer-executable instructions or codes stored in memory 212 to perform various processes described below.

[0123] At least one transceiver 204 may be configured to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna 206 for communication with the RAN 102. The transceiver 204 may also be configured to demodulate data or other content received by the at least one antenna 206. Each transceiver 204 may include any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless transmission and / or processing signals for wireless reception. Each antenna 206 may include any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals. Although illustrated as a single functional unit, the transceiver 204 may also be implemented separately as at least one transmitting module and at least one receiving module.

[0124] The positioning module 208 is configured to communicate with a plurality of global or regional positioning devices (e.g., navigation satellites) to determine the location of the UE 114. The navigation satellites may be satellites of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo Positioning System, and / or China's BeiDou System. The navigation satellites may also be satellites of a regional navigation satellite system (RNSS), such as India's Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and the like. In some other embodiments, the positioning module 208 may be configured to communicate with a plurality of indoor positioning devices to determine the location of the UE 114.

[0125] One or more input / output components 210 are used to interact with users or other devices in the communication system 100. Each input / output component 210 can include any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, and can be, for example, a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, touch screen, etc.

[0126] At least one memory 212 is configured to store instructions executable by the processing unit 202 and data used, generated, or collected by the processing unit 202. For example, the memory 212 may store instructions for software, software systems, or software modules executable by the processing unit 202 to implement some or all of the functionality and / or embodiments described herein for the UE 114. Each memory 212 may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory and retrieval components, such as RAM, ROM, a hard disk, an optical disk, a SIM card, a solid-state memory module, a memory stick, an SD memory card, and / or the like.

[0127] At least one sidelink component 214 is configured to communicate with other devices, such as other UEs 114, via appropriate sidelinks 120. The wireless sidelinks 120 may be wireless links, link, BLUETOOTH is a registered trademark of the Bluetooth SIG, Inc., Kirkland, Wash., USA, and / or the like. The wired sidelink 120 may be a connection established between two UEs 114 using a USB cable, a network cable, a parallel cable, a serial cable, or the like.

[0128] Hereinafter, base station 112 and UE 114 are generally categorized as a transmitter and a receiver, wherein base station 112 can be a transmitter when transmitting wireless signals or a receiver when receiving wireless signals. Similarly, UE 114 can be a transmitter when transmitting wireless signals or a receiver when receiving wireless signals.

[0129] In these embodiments, the base station 112 or the UE 114 or both may include multiple antennas or antenna elements 148 or 206. As is known in the art, multiple antennas on the transmit side or the receive side or both may be used to provide diversity against channel fading. More specifically, the communication system 100 may take advantage of the fact that the channels experienced by different antennas may be at least partially uncorrelated, for example, due to sufficient inter-antenna distance and / or different polarizations between the antennas.

[0130] By carefully adjusting the phase and / or amplitude of each antenna, multiple antennas on the transmitting side can be used to form one or more signal beams (or simply "beams") by directing the total power of the transmitted wireless signal along one or more directions, or more generally, towards a specific location in space to provide signal directionality. Hereinafter, the beam formed by the transmitter is also referred to as the transmitter beam.

[0131] The directivity of the beam can increase the achievable transmission data rate and range / coverage due to the increased power reaching the target receiver. This directivity can also reduce interference with other links, thereby improving overall spectral efficiency. Figure 4A An example of a base station 112 is shown that forms multiple beams 242 for transmitting wireless signals to multiple UEs 114. For example, in an application where UEs 114 in the form of machine type communication (MTC) devices are densely deployed in a small area or direction, each beam 242 can serve multiple UEs 114, and the number of UEs 114 served by the beams 242 can be large.

[0132] When beamforming is used, the coverage of the wireless signal is reduced because the wireless signal is usually concentrated in a certain direction or geographical location in space. Usually, it is necessary to steer or change the direction of the beam. For example, Figure 4BAs shown, beam scanning can be used to cover a large geographic area and support a large number of UEs 114 by pointing one or more beams 242 in different directions and changing the direction over time (e.g., rotating the beam 242 in the direction indicated by arrow 244) to cover a large geographic area or space.

[0133] B. Two-stage beam steering

[0134] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a conventional phased array 300 using discrete components. As shown, the phased array 300 includes a plurality of antenna elements 304 arranged in an M×N matrix (having M rows and N columns), for example, a 16×16 matrix. Each antenna element 304 is functionally coupled to a corresponding phase shifter 306. The plurality of phase shifters 306 are functionally coupled to a phase control circuit 308 (hereinafter also referred to as a “phase controller”). In this example, the phased array 300 may be part of the TX 144 of the base station 112, and the antenna element 304 may be the antenna element 148 of the base station 112 (see FIG5 ). Figure 2 Alternatively, the phased array 300 may be part of the transceiver 204 of the UE 114 and the antenna element 304 may be the antenna element 206 of the UE 114 (see Figure 3 ).

[0135] In this example, the phase controller 308 controls the phase shifter 306 to change the phase of the input signal on the antenna element 304 to form a signal beam toward a desired direction, and is used to steer the direction of the signal beam on a predefined plane (denoted as "two-dimensional (2D) beam steering") or toward any direction in three-dimensional (3D) space (denoted as "3D beam steering"). For example, the 6G base station 112 may use discrete components with narrow beams that can be steered in two planes of 3D space (denoted as azimuth and elevation). In the prior art, 3D beam steering is typically achieved through a planar phased array. However, due to the large number of phase shifters, the control of a large planar phased array antenna (including a large number of phase shifters 306) is complex.

[0136] In a conventional phased array 300, each phase shifter 306 is individually controlled by a phase controller 308. Since the phased array 300 may include a large number of antenna elements (e.g., hundreds of antenna elements), the conventional phased array 300 may require a large number of control signals. More specifically, for a conventional planar phased array 300 having M×N antenna elements, where each phase shifter uses B bits, the total number of bits used to control the beam is M×N×B. For example, a conventional planar phased array 300 having 32×32 (i.e., 1024) antenna elements requires independent control of 1024 phase shifters (at least two (2) bits per phase shifter) for beamforming, which means routing and driving at least 2048 signal lines at high speed. With a large number of control signals, the conventional phased array 300 may also require complex control and calibration. In addition, the component density of the conventional phased array 300 may be high.

[0137] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an antenna array 400 ("two-stage antenna array") in the form of a phased array employing two-stage beam steering ("two-stage phased array") is provided for some embodiments of the present invention. Two-stage phased array 400 includes a plurality of antenna elements 304 arranged in an M×N matrix (having M rows and N columns), for example, a 16×16 matrix. Each antenna element 304 is functionally coupled to a beam steering component 306 for first-stage beam steering. In these embodiments, the beam steering component 306 is a phase shifter (referred to as a "dipper phase shifter" to distinguish it from the group phase shifter 406 described below). The plurality of antenna elements 304 are divided into one or more antenna groups 402 (also referred to as "sub-arrays"). Each antenna group 402 is further functionally coupled to a corresponding beam steering component 406. In these embodiments, the beam steering component 406 is a phase shifter (referred to as a "group phase shifter" to distinguish it from the element phase shifter 306) of a second-stage beam steering module 404. Phase controller 308 is coupled to phase shifters 306 and 406 for beamforming and beamsteering.

[0138] During beam steering, phase controller 308 controls the element phase shifters 306 associated with the antenna elements 304 of each antenna group 402 to perform 2D beam steering in a predefined first plane (i.e., changing a first angle of the beam along the predefined first plane). Phase controller 308 also controls each group phase shifter 406 to perform 2D beam steering in a predefined second plane (i.e., changing a second angle of the beam along the predefined second plane). In this manner, two-stage phased array 400 achieves array factor product.

[0139] In some embodiments, the first plane and the second plane are orthogonal to each other.

[0140] For comparison, to steer the signal beam 30° in elevation (which implies a progressive phase shift of –90° in a half-wavelength-spaced antenna array) and 60° in azimuth (which corresponds to a progressive phase shift of 155.88°), the phase settings for the conventional phased array shown in FIG5 are listed in Table 1 below:

[0141] Table 1: Phase settings for a conventional phased array used to steer a signal beam: 30° elevation, 60° azimuth (units: degrees)

[0142] –245.7 –401.8 –197.6 –353.7 –149.4 –305.2 –101.3 –257.0 –335.7 –491.8 –287.6 –443.7 –239.4 –395.2 –191.3 –347.0 –425.7 –581.8 –377.6 –533.7 –329.4 –485.2 –281.3 –437.0 –155.7 –311.8 –107.6 –263.7 –59.4 –215.2 –11.3 –167.0 –245.7 –401.8 –197.6 –353.7 –149.4 –305.2 –101.3 –257.0 –335.7 –491.8 –287.6 –443.7 –239.4 –395.2 –191.3 –347.0 –425.7 –581.8 –377.6 –533.7 –329.4 –485.2 –281.3 –437.0 –155.7 –311.8 –107.6 –263.7 –59.4 –215.2 –11.3 –167.0

[0143] on the other hand, Figure 6 The phase settings of the two-stage phased array used to steer the signal beam at an elevation angle of 30° and an azimuth angle of 60° are shown in Table 2 below:

[0144] Table 2: Phase settings for a two-stage phased array used to steer the signal beam: 30° elevation, 60° azimuth (units: degrees)

[0145]

[0146] Figure 7A An example of a two-stage phased array 400 in the form of a planar phased array is shown, wherein the two-stage phased array 400 includes a plurality of antenna elements arranged in a matrix on the yz plane. The spacing of the antenna elements along the y axis is d y , the spacing along the z-axis is d z See also Figure 7B In this example, the first plane may be an elevation plane (also referred to as "elevation"), i.e., an xz plane, and the second plane may be an azimuth plane (also referred to as "azimuth"), i.e., an xy plane. The elevation plane and the azimuth plane are orthogonal to each other.

[0147] Thus, the azimuth angle (denoted as "Az" or "φ") is the angle defined between the x-axis and the projection of plane wave signal 422 onto the xy plane. The elevation angle (denoted as "E1") is the angle defined between plane wave signal 422 and its projection onto the xy plane. The complementary elevation angle θ is defined as the angle between plane wave signal 422 and the z-axis.

[0148] Each antenna element 304 is coupled to an element phase shifter 306 (not shown). The antenna elements 304 (and corresponding element phase shifters 306) are divided into a plurality of antenna groups 402, where each antenna group 402 includes a plurality of antenna elements 304 and corresponding element phase shifters 306 along the z-axis. Thus, the plurality of antenna groups 402 are distributed along the y-axis.

[0149] In each antenna group 402, its antenna elements 304 are controlled by corresponding element phase shifters 306 to steer the elevation angle of the signal beam (along the elevation plane). Figure 7A 4. (not shown in FIG. 4) controls the antenna group 402 to steer the azimuth angle of the signal beam (along the azimuth plane).

[0150] Then, the phase of the antenna weights of antenna group 402 is

[0151] kd y cos(El)sin(Az)=kd y sinθsinφ (1)

[0152] The phase of the antenna weights of the antenna elements in each antenna group 402 is

[0153] kd z sin(El)=kd z cosθ (2)

[0154] where k is the wave number.

[0155] Equation (2) shows that the phase of the antenna weights of the antenna elements in each antenna group 402 is independent of the azimuth angle φ. Accordingly, the phase shifters in each antenna group 402 can have the same elevation steering setting.

[0156] The array factor AF of each antenna group 402 z for:

[0157]

[0158] Among them, n z is the index of the antenna element in antenna group 402, N z is the total number of antenna elements in antenna group 402.

[0159] The array factor AF of the antenna group 402 y for:

[0160]

[0161] Among them, b y is the index of antenna group 402, N y is the total number of antenna groups 402.

[0162] Therefore, the array factor product is:

[0163]

[0164] Same as 2D array factor:

[0165]

[0166] Therefore, the planar two-stage phased array 400 is a uniform phased array.

[0167] Figure 8A and Figure 8B is a graph showing the antenna gain distribution of a conventional 3D steered phased array 300 , wherein its phase is steered to φ=60° and θ=30°.

[0168] Figure 9A and Figure 9B FIG2 is a diagram showing an antenna group 402 of a two-stage phased array 400 (with antenna elements along the z-axis; see FIG2 ). Figure 9C ), where its signal beam is directed to θ=30° in the elevation plane (ie, the xz plane). Figure 10A and Figure 10B The diagram shows the antenna element group 424 along the y-axis of the two-stage phased array 400 (see Figure 10C ), where its phase is directed to φ=60° in the azimuth plane (ie, the xy plane).

[0169] As a comparison, Figure 11A It shows that Figure 11D A graph of the antenna gain distribution of a conventional 16x16 3D steered planar phased array 300' (ie, having 16 phase shifters in each row and 16 phase shifters in each column) is shown, which is the product of the array factor and its antenna element gain.

[0170] Figure 11B It shows that Figure 11E As shown (similar to Figure 9C and Figure 10C Graphs of the antenna gain products (in dB) for the 16×1 antenna group 402′ (i.e., 16 rows, each with one phase shifter) and the 1×16 antenna group 424′ (i.e., one row with 16 phase shifters) of the antenna groups 402 and 424 are shown, which may represent the antenna gain distribution pattern of the 16×16 two-stage phased array 400. Figure 11B The antenna gain product shown is the product of the antenna gains of antenna groups 402' and 424', the product of the azimuth one-dimensional (1D) array factor of antenna group 424' and the antenna element gain of antenna group 424', the elevation 1D array factor of antenna group 402' and the antenna element gain of antenna group 402', and the product of the array factor of a traditional phased array, the antenna element gain of antenna group 424', and the antenna element gain of antenna group 402'.

[0171] It can be seen that Figure 11B The antenna gain product shown is generally equal to Figure 11A The antenna gain shown is multiplied by Figure 11C The antenna gain 432 (in other words, Figure 11C The antenna gain 432 shown represents Figure 11B The antenna gain product shown is Figure 11A The difference between the antenna gains is shown in dB. Therefore, the antenna gain distribution pattern of the two-stage phased array 400 is similar to the antenna gain distribution pattern of the conventional 3D-steered phased array 300.

[0172] Figures 12A to 14 The effects of three-bit, two-bit, and one-bit phase quantization are shown for a two-stage phased array 400, where each phase shifter 306, 406 has three (3) bits, two (2) bits, and one (1) bit, respectively. As can be seen from these figures, the quantization effect begins to appear at two-bit quantization, while one-bit quantization may be less acceptable.

[0173] 12A to 12D is a graph showing the effect of phase quantization of a two-stage phased array 400 for θ=30° beam steering along the elevation plane, where Figure 12A shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized into three (3) bits, Figure 12B shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized to two (2) bits, Figure 12C shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized to one (1) bit, Figure 12D The antenna gain comparison of the three quantization methods is shown. It can be seen that the effects of two-bit quantization and three-bit quantization are similar. However, one-bit quantization produces larger quantization grating lobes.

[0174] 13A to 13D is a graph showing the effect of phase quantization of a two-stage phased array 400 for θ=15° beam steering along the elevation plane, where Figure 13A shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized into three (3) bits, Figure 13B shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized to two (2) bits, Figure 13C shows the antenna gain distribution when the phase is quantized to one (1) bit, Figure 13D A comparison of antenna gains for the three quantization methods is shown.

[0175] Figure 14 FIG2 is a graph showing the performance of two-bit phase quantization of the two-stage phased array 400 at elevation angles. In the worst case, the side-lobe level (SLL) is about 8.5 dB, which can be reduced as the slope decreases.

[0176] By efficiently combining beam switching of antenna elements in each antenna group along one plane (e.g., elevation or azimuth) and beam switching of the antenna group along another plane (e.g., azimuth or elevation), the two-stage beam steering disclosed herein can achieve 3D scanning or beam steering with optimized antenna control (with reduced complexity), size, and power consumption.

[0177] C. Blade-shaped antenna structure

[0178] In some embodiments, the two-stage phased array 400 utilizes a blade antenna structure and includes a primary RF circuit structure, such as a primary RF circuit board 452 (hereinafter also referred to as a "motherboard"), and one or more secondary circuit structures, such as one or more secondary circuit boards 454 (hereinafter also referred to as "bladeboards") coupled to the motherboard 452. The bladeboard 454 includes the antenna element 304 and the element phase shifter 306 for steering a signal beam in a first dimension (i.e., along a first plane, such as an elevation plane or an azimuth plane). The motherboard 452 includes the group phase shifter 406 and other necessary components for steering a signal beam in a second dimension (i.e., along a second plane, such as an azimuth plane or an elevation plane).

[0179] For example, Figure 15A and Figure 15B As shown in FIG, the two-stage phased array 400 includes a motherboard 452 and a plurality of blade boards 454 coupled to one side of the motherboard 452 and oriented perpendicularly to the motherboard 452. The blade boards 454 are spaced apart from each other at a pitch of λ / 2 (where λ is the wavelength of the wireless signal) and are coupled to the motherboard 452 via a suitable coupling method, such as an RF connector, substrate integrated waveguide (SIW), soldering, and / or the like. One or more spacers 456 are sandwiched between adjacent blade boards 454 to secure the blade boards 454 in place.

[0180] The motherboard 452 includes a plurality of active components 462, such as a transceiver (TRX) power amplifier (PF), a low-noise amplifier (LNA), an RF single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch, a mixer, a group phase-shifter (PS) 406, etc. Therefore, a careful thermal analysis of the motherboard is usually required. The active components 462 can be directly connected to the motherboard 452 using wire bond packaging, flip chip packaging and / or wire bond ball grid array (BGA) packaging 464 (which places output pins in the form of a matrix of solder balls). Figure 15BIn the example shown, the motherboard 452 is connected to another circuit board 466, such as an intermediate frequency (IF) board, a control board, a power board, etc., via a BGA 464. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, the motherboard 452 may also include necessary circuits for IF processing, control, and power, and thus the circuit board 466 is not required.

[0181] Each blade 454 includes an antenna element 304 and a corresponding beam steering switch, or element phase shifter 306, for the antenna group 402. Figure 16 As shown in the example of FIG, the blade board 454 includes a plurality of linearly arranged end-fire antenna elements 304 implemented using printed circuit board (PCB) technology. Each end-fire antenna element 304 is connected to a corresponding element phase shifter 306. The element phase shifter 306 is connected to the motherboard 452 via, for example, an RF connector 482. The element phase shifter 306 can also be connected to a control and direct-current (DC) module 484 (having necessary components, such as a power divider / combiner), for connection to the corresponding control and DC modules of the motherboard 452.

[0182] In some embodiments, the phase shifters 306 of the blades 454 have the same configuration. In other embodiments, the phase shifters 306 of all blades 454 of the two-stage phased array 400 have the same configuration.

[0183] By using the same configuration of dipole phase shifters 306, the hardware and control of blade board 454 can be greatly simplified. Therefore, blade board 454 can be much simpler than motherboard 452, significantly improving the output performance of two-stage phased array 400 and reducing control complexity and cost. Furthermore, due to the blade antenna structure, two-stage phased array 400 may not require cooling.

[0184] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the blade antenna structure provides additional space (i.e., the third dimension of antenna structure / depth), which allows for more features such as dual-band, broadband, and conformal arrays. More specifically, the two-stage phased array 400 disclosed herein provides various advantages, such as:

[0185] By dividing the beam steering circuit board into an azimuth steering circuit board and an elevation steering circuit board, stacking and circuit routing are simplified, significantly improving the output performance of the two-stage phased array 400 and reducing costs;

[0186] The blade antenna structure provides a modular structure, allowing each stage and / or component to be tested and / or calibrated separately, and allows for mix-and-match approaches (i.e., using different antennas, beam steering methods, switching, etc. in the two-stage phased array 400);

[0187] The use of blade boards exploits another dimension (i.e., the third dimension compared to traditional planar circuit boards) that is otherwise limited by the constraints of multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs);

[0188] The blade antenna structure exploits the third dimension of the antenna, increasing component density and allowing arbitrary array shapes (e.g., conformal arrays).

[0189] The phase shifters of all blades 454 have the same configuration, which significantly simplifies the hardware and control of the two-stage phased array 400.

[0190] For base station applications, the field of view in the azimuth plane is typically larger than in the elevation plane, resulting in more beams. Accordingly, the two-stage phased array 400 is capable of hybrid 3D beam steering by using beam switching in one plane (which may be advantageous for a smaller number of beams) and phased arrays in another plane (which may be advantageous for a larger number of beams).

[0191] Phase shifter requirements (primarily resolution / bit count) are much simpler than those for conventional phased arrays.

[0192] Although in the above-described embodiment, spacers are used to secure the blade boards 454 to the motherboard 452 , in some alternative embodiments, the two-stage phased array 400 does not use spacers between the blade boards 454 .

[0193] exist Figure 17 In some of the illustrated embodiments, the blade board 454 utilizes beam switching rather than phase shifters. More specifically, the antenna elements 304 of the blade board 454 are connected to the beam switch 492 via a beam switching network 494, such as a Rotman lens, a Butler matrix, or the like. In these embodiments, the blade board 454 also includes an RF connector 482 for coupling to the motherboard 452 and a control and DC module 484 for control and power. The blade board 454 in these embodiments may be suitable or advantageously suitable for a small number of beams, such as 20 or fewer beams.

[0194] In some embodiments, the group phase shifter 406 may be located on the motherboard 452. In some embodiments, instead of using the group phase shifter 406, the motherboard 452 may include a group beam switch for switching the phase of the antenna group 402.

[0195] Those skilled in the art will understand that although Figures 15A to 17The blade 454 in the illustrated embodiment is rectangular in shape. The blade antenna structure allows for conformal or arbitrary shaped arrays, which may be advantageous in certain guidance situations.

[0196] For example, in Figure 18 In some embodiments shown, the blades 454 may be semicircular in shape and of the same size, so that the set of blades 454 of the two-stage phased array 400 is in the shape of a semi-cylinder. Figure 19 In some of the illustrated embodiments, the blades 454 may be semicircular in shape and of different sizes, so that the set of blades 454 of the two-stage phased array 400 is hemispherical in shape.

[0197] Despite Figure 15A 、 Figure 15B 、 Figure 18 and Figure 19 The blade board 454 in the embodiment shown in FIG is perpendicular to the motherboard 452 , but in some embodiments, the blade board 454 can be parallel to the motherboard 452 (eg, the blade board 454 is coupled to the motherboard 452 via an expansion board perpendicular to the motherboard 452 ).

[0198] Figure 20A is a schematic exploded perspective view of a single-polarization two-stage phased array 400 for further simplifying the motherboard 452 and its integration with the blades 454 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0199] Similar to the above example and as Figure 20B As shown, the motherboard 452 is used for beam steering along a first plane (using phase shifters or beam switches as described above). The blade board is used for beam steering along a second plane (using phase shifters or beam switches as described above) and is coupled to the motherboard 452 via a plurality of end-launch connector assemblies 502 or is otherwise integrated with the motherboard 452.

[0200] like Figure 20A As shown, each end launch connector assembly 502 includes a first end launch connector 504 coupled to the motherboard 452 and a second end launch connector 506 coupled to the blade board 454. When the blade board 454 is connected to the motherboard 452, the first end launch connector 504 and the second end launch connector 506 are connected and secured together by a transition block or bullet head 508 to secure the blade board 454 to a section of the motherboard 452. The motherboard 452 is perpendicular to the blade board 454.

[0201] Figure 20BDetail of the motherboard 452 is shown, which includes a 16-in 16-out Rotman lens or Butler matrix 512, a plurality of TRXs 514, each TRX having a transmitter 516 and a receiver 518, a phase shifter driver 520, a 16×2 bit phase shifter bias head 522 connected via a cable 524 (see FIG. Figure 20A ) is connected to the first end transmit connector 504 for control and DC, and the heat sink 526 is coupled to the back side of the motherboard 452 about the TRX 514 (see Figure 20A ).

[0202] Figure 20C Exemplary control circuitry is shown connected to the motherboard 452 for controlling the motherboard 452 and the blade board 454 for beam steering.

[0203] Figure 21 Schematic exploded perspective view of a single polarization two-stage phased array 400 provided for some embodiments of the present invention. The two-stage phased array 400 in these embodiments is similar to Figure 20A As shown in , except that the two-stage phased array 400 in these embodiments includes an expansion board 532 having a transition block 508 mounted thereon to facilitate fixing the blade board 454 and facilitating wiring between the motherboard 452 and the blade board 454.

[0204] Using the blade antenna structure, dual-polarization phased array can be easily realized. For example, Figure 22 A schematic exploded perspective view of a dual-polarization two-stage phased array 400 provided in some embodiments of the present invention. The dual-polarization two-stage phased array 400 includes two motherboards 452 arranged in parallel, each motherboard 452 is similar to Figure 20A and Figure 20B The motherboard 452 shown in FIG. 4 is used to form and steer signal beams of specific polarizations. Two sets of end-launch connector assemblies 502 are used to couple the blade boards 454 to the two motherboards 452. Each blade board 454 can support two polarizations, wherein additional polarization phase shifters and feed networks can be implemented on the other side of the blade board 454 (i.e., the side opposite the antenna element 304). In these embodiments, the motherboard 452 is perpendicular to the blade board 454.

[0205] The extra space gained by the blade antenna structure can also be used to implement dual-band phased arrays. Figure 23 An example of a dual frequency interleaved (26 gigahertz (GHz) and 39 GHz) two-stage phased array 400 is shown. The two-stage phased array 400 in this example is similar to Figure 15A, except that in this example, each blade board 454 includes a first set of antenna elements 304A for forming a first signal beam at 26 GHz, interleaved with a second set of antenna elements 304B for forming a second signal beam at 39 GHz. The blade boards 454 in this example may utilize a TRX multi-chip module (MCM). Table 3 below shows an estimate of the TRX MCM in this example.

[0206] Table 3: Estimation of TRX MCM

[0207] frequency band Package width (millimeter, mm) Package height (mm) Antenna width (mm) Antenna Ratio 26 7 7 93 10％ 39 6 7 62 20％ 68 7 10 71 50％ 73 7 10 66 58％

[0208] By adopting this blade antenna structure, the two-stage phased array 400 has additional space for arranging components on the motherboard 452 and coupling the blade board 454, thereby achieving various advantages, such as:

[0209] Simplified wiring, thereby simplifying the PCB technology of the motherboard 452;

[0210] Easy integration or coupling between the blade plate 454 and the main plate 452;

[0211] Easy to use heat sink through improved heat dissipation solution;

[0212] More space is available to implement dual polarization or dual frequency bands if needed.

[0213] In the above-described embodiments and examples, motherboard 452 includes an LNA. Therefore, the loss of blade board 454 can be critical to the system noise figure. At high frequencies, the MSL loss of the end-fire antenna element 304 of blade board 454 can be high. Therefore, for high-frequency signal beams, it may be preferable to implement the end-fire antenna element 304 of blade board 454 using a waveguide or SIW.

[0214] For example, Figure 24 A schematic perspective view of a two-stage phased array 400 for forming and steering a 72 GHz signal beam, provided for some embodiments of the present invention. In these embodiments, the end-fire antenna element 304 of the blade 454 is implemented using a waveguide 542 arranged parallel and perpendicular to the motherboard 452 (rather than a MSL). Therefore, a waveguide-to-MSL transition is required, which can be achieved by transitioning from the MSL to the SIW and then from the SIW to the waveguide. Compared to the aforementioned MSL-based two-stage phased array implementation, the two-stage phased array 400 achieves lower RF loss in the blade feed network.

[0215] In some embodiments, instead of using a group phase shifter 406, a group waveguide or a group SIW may be used to change the phase of the antenna group 402. In some embodiments, the group waveguide or the group SIW may be implemented on a main board.

[0216] exist Figure 25 In the illustrated embodiment, the interface 542A (along its broadside) of the waveguide 542 of the blade plate 454 is oriented differently than the interface 452B of the motherboard 452. Consequently, the electric field direction 602A of the waveguide 542 is misaligned with the electric field direction 602B of the motherboard 452. Therefore, the transition from the motherboard 452 to the waveguide 542 of the blade plate 454 requires a twist structure 600 therebetween to transition the electric field direction 602A of the waveguide 542 to the electric field direction 602B of the motherboard 452. The twist structure 600 has a first interface 604A for coupling to the interface 542A of the waveguide 542 and a second interface 604B for coupling to the interface 452B of the motherboard 452. First interface 604A of twist structure 600 has the same orientation as interface 542A of waveguide 542 for aligning electric field direction 602A, and second interface 604B has the same orientation as interface 452B of motherboard 452 for aligning electric field direction 602B. However, twist structure 600 may be difficult to manufacture, for example.

[0217] In such Figure 26 In some embodiments shown, the need for the twist structure 600 can be eliminated by changing the dimensions of the blade waveguide 542 so that the orientation of the interface 542A is aligned with the orientation of the interface 452B of the motherboard 452 .

[0218] In such Figure 27 In some embodiments shown, the waveguide 542 is coupled to a plurality of stacked coupled circuit boards 622, each stacked coupled circuit board 622 having one or more dipole phase shifters 306 thereon, which provides various advantages, such as:

[0219] Eliminates the need for waveguide twist transition 600;

[0220] Each coupling circuit board 622 has simplified wiring / stacking because all dipole phase shifters 306 on the same blade board 454 use the same settings (in some embodiments, all dipole phase shifters 306 on the same blade board 454 can be the same phase shifter; furthermore, in some other embodiments, multiple antenna elements 304 can be controlled by the same dipole phase shifter 306, which can further simplify the implementation of the phase shifters);

[0221] • Since the blades 454 are located on the same axis of elevation steering, it is easy to implement the group phase shifters 406 (not shown) for the beam steering plane (eg elevation plane) of the motherboard 452.

[0222] Figure 28 The two-stage phased array 400 provided by some embodiments of the present invention is shown. The two-stage phased array 400 in these embodiments is similar to Figure 25 The phased arrays shown in FIG. 5 are similar, except that in these embodiments, the motherboard 452 is parallel to the waveguides 542, eliminating the need for waveguide twist transitions (see FIG. Figure 26 ), and facilitates simple waveguide transitions that can be achieved with simple patch excitation.

[0223] Although the two-stage phased array 400 is described as part of the communication system 100 in the above embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the two-stage phased array 400 disclosed herein may also be used in other systems, such as a sensing system for 3D beam steering, an imaging system, and the like.

[0224] In the above embodiments and examples, a two-stage phased array 400 is described for forming and steering a transmitter beam. In some embodiments, a receiver can also use the two-stage phased array 400 to provide receive-side directionality by focusing reception on one or more directions of a target signal while simultaneously suppressing interference from other directions, thereby effectively forming a beam on the receive side (denoted as a "receiver beam"). In some embodiments, time division duplexing (TDD) can be used to switch the two-stage phased array 400 between TX mode and RX mode.

[0225] D. Abbreviation Keywords

[0226] BGA: Ball Grid Array

[0227] IF: Intermediate Frequency

[0228] LNA: Low Noise Amplifier

[0229] MSL: Microstrip Line

[0230] PA: Power Amplifier

[0231] PCB: Printed Circuit Board

[0232] PS: Phase Shifter

[0233] RF: Radio Frequency

[0234] SIW: Substrate Integrated Waveguide

[0235] SPDT: Single Pole Double Through Switch

[0236] TRX: Transceiver

[0237] E. References:

[0238] [1] N.-C. Liu, C.-C. Tien, C.-Y. Chang, H.-W. Ling, C.-W. Chiu, and J.-H. Tarng, “Millimeter-Wave 2-D Beam-Switchable and Scalable Phased Antenna Array,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 69, No. 12, pp. 8997–9002, December 2021, doi: 10.1109 / TAP.2021.3098583

[0239] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: controlling one or more antenna elements in each antenna group of the one or more antenna groups to direct a signal beam along a first plane; The one or more antenna groups are controlled to steer the signal beam along a second plane.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first plane is an elevation plane, and the second plane is an azimuth plane.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first plane is perpendicular to the second plane.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first plane is one of an elevation plane and an azimuth plane, and the second plane is the other of the elevation plane and the azimuth plane.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The controlling the one or more antenna elements in each antenna group of the one or more antenna groups to direct the signal beam along the first plane comprises: controlling the one or more antenna elements in each of the one or more antenna groups using one or more first phase shifters, one or more first beam switches, or one or more first waveguides to direct the signal beam along the first plane; and / or The controlling the one or more antenna groups to direct the signal beam along the second plane comprises: The one or more antenna groups are controlled using one or more second phase shifters, one or more second beam switches, or one or more second waveguides to direct the signal beam along the second plane.

6. An antenna array, comprising: A plurality of antenna elements are divided into one or more antenna groups, each antenna group including one or more antenna elements; a plurality of first beam steering assemblies, each first beam steering assembly connected to one of the plurality of antenna elements to direct a signal beam along a first plane; One or more second beam steering assemblies, each second beam steering assembly connected to one of the one or more antenna groups to steer the signal beam along a second plane.

7. The antenna array according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first plane is an elevation plane, and the second plane is an azimuth plane.

8. The antenna array according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first plane is perpendicular to the second plane.

9. The antenna array according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The first plane is one of an elevation plane and an azimuth plane, and the second plane is the other of the elevation plane and the azimuth plane.

10. The antenna array according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The one or more first beam directing components include one or more first phase shifters, one or more first beam switches, or one or more first waveguides; and / or The one or more second beam directing components include one or more second phase shifters, one or more second beam switches, or one or more second waveguides.

11. The antenna array according to any one of claims 6 to 10, further comprising: one or more first circuit structures including the plurality of antenna elements and the one or more first beam-steering components; At least one second circuit structure is coupled to the one or more first circuit structures and includes the one or more second beam-steering components.

12. The antenna array according to claim 11, characterized in that: The at least one second circuit structure includes at least one second circuit board.

13. The antenna array according to claim 12, characterized in that: The at least one second circuit board includes a plurality of components connected to the at least one second circuit board using wire bond packaging, flip chip packaging, and / or wire bond ball grid array (BGA) packaging.

14. The antenna array according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that: The at least one second circuit board is coupled to the third circuit board using a BGA package.

15. The antenna array according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: The at least one second circuit board includes a plurality of transmitters and / or receivers.

16. The antenna array according to claim 15, characterized in that: The at least one second circuit board includes a heat sink; the heat sink and the plurality of transmitters and / or receivers are located on opposite sides of the at least one second circuit board.

17. The antenna array according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that: The one or more first circuit structures include a plurality of first circuit structures that are spaced apart from each other and parallel to each other.

18. The antenna array according to claim 17, characterized in that: The distance between each pair of adjacent first circuit structures of the plurality of first circuit structures is λ / 2, where λ is the wavelength of the signal beam.

19. The antenna array according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that: The plurality of first circuit structures are separated by one or more spacers.

20. The antenna array according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that: The plurality of first circuit structures are coupled to one side of the at least one second circuit structure in a direction perpendicular to the at least one second circuit structure.

21. The antenna array according to claim 20, characterized in that: The plurality of first circuit structures are coupled to the one side of the at least one second circuit structure through RF connectors, substrate integrated waveguides (SIWs), and / or soldering.

22. The antenna array according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that: The plurality of first circuit structures have rectangles of the same size, semicircles of the same size, or semicircles of different sizes.

23. The antenna array according to any one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that: The plurality of first circuit structures are coupled to one end of the at least one second circuit structure.

24. The antenna array according to claim 23, characterized in that The one or more first circuit structures are coupled to the one end of the at least one second circuit structure in a direction perpendicular to the at least one second circuit structure.

25. The antenna array according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that: The one or more first circuit structures are coupled to the one end of the at least one second circuit structure via a plurality of end launch connector assemblies.

26. The antenna array according to claim 25, characterized in that Each of the plurality of end launch connector assemblies includes a first end launch connector coupled to one of the one or more first circuit structures, a second end launch connector coupled to one of the at least one second circuit structures, and a transition block for fixing the first end launch connector and the second end launch connector together.

27. The antenna array of claim 25, further comprising an extension board on which the transition blocks of the plurality of end launch connector assemblies are mounted.

28. The antenna array according to any one of claims 11 to 27, characterized in that The at least one second circuit structure includes two second circuit boards parallel to each other.

29. The antenna array according to claim 28, characterized in that The two second circuit boards are used to guide signal beams with different polarizations.

30. The antenna array according to any one of claims 11 to 29, characterized in that: The plurality of antenna elements include a plurality of groups of antenna elements for directing signal beams of different frequencies.

31. The antenna array according to claim 30, characterized in that The multiple groups of antenna elements are staggered on the one or more first circuit structures.

32. The antenna array according to any one of claims 11 to 31, characterized in that The one or more first circuit structures include one or more first circuit boards.

33. The antenna array according to any one of claims 11 to 31, characterized in that The one or more first circuit structures include one or more waveguides.

34. The antenna array according to any one of claims 11 to 31, characterized in that The one or more first circuit structures include one or more waveguides coupled to a plurality of stacked circuit boards.

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