Base station antenna

Abstract

The present invention relates to a base station antenna comprising: a first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged in a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; the second array comprises a plurality of second radiating elements arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna and is transversely adjacent to the first array, the longitudinal position of each second radiating element is staggered from the longitudinal position of the corresponding first radiating element, the first array comprises a first sub-array and a second sub-array, and the second sub-array comprises a plurality of second radiating elements arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna. Any one of the first and second sub-arrays includes one or more adjacent first radiating elements, where a phase center of a combination of the first and second sub-arrays is substantially aligned with a sub-phase center of the second array.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with an application date of September 1, 2020, application number 202010901489.5, and invention name “Base Station Antenna”. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to communication systems, and more particularly to base station antennas for cellular communication systems. Background Art

[0003] Base station antennas for wireless communication systems are used to transmit and receive radio frequency ("RF") signals to and from fixed and mobile users of cellular communication services. Base station antennas typically include linear or two-dimensional arrays of radiating elements, such as crossed dipoles or patch radiating elements. To increase system capacity, beamforming base station antennas are currently being deployed that include multiple closely spaced linear arrays of radiating elements configured for beamforming (referred to herein as "arrays," also referred to as "columns"). A typical goal with such beamforming antennas is to produce a narrow antenna beam in the azimuth plane. The RF signals emitted by the radiating elements of different columns are combined to create this antenna beam. This increases the signal power transmitted in the direction of the desired user and reduces interference.

[0004] If the arrays of radiating elements in a beamforming antenna are closely spaced together, the antenna beam can be scanned to very wide angles in the azimuth plane (e.g., an azimuth scan angle of 60°) without producing significant sidelobes. However, when the arrays are spaced more closely together, the mutual coupling between radiating elements in adjacent arrays increases, which degrades other performance parameters of the base station antenna, such as co-polarization performance. In order to maintain close spacing between adjacent arrays of the beamforming antenna while increasing the isolation between radiating elements in adjacent arrays, it may be necessary to stagger adjacent arrays in the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, which increases the physical separation between "adjacent" radiating elements in "adjacent" arrays. This staggered construction reduces the mutual coupling between adjacent elements, thereby increasing end-to-end isolation.

[0005] like Figure 1As shown, the base station antenna includes a radiating element 1 operating in a lower frequency band and a radiating element 2 operating in a higher frequency band. A plurality of radiating elements 1 are arranged into arrays (also called columns) 11 and 12 along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, and a plurality of radiating elements 2 are arranged into arrays (also called "columns") 21 to 24 along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna. The arrays 11 and 12 are not misaligned in the longitudinal direction. For example, as shown by the dotted line A, the physical centers of the two radiating elements in the two arrays are basically aligned. When feeding the arrays 11 and 12, the radiating elements 1 in the arrays 11 and 12 can be divided into multiple sub-arrays (also called "subsets"). In this article, each sub-array includes one or more adjacent (i.e., continuously positioned) radiating elements, which are represented in the accompanying drawings as one or more radiating elements framed by a solid line box. Each of the arrays 11 and 12 is fed by a phase shifter, and each sub-array is coupled to a corresponding output of the phase shifter (for details, please refer to Figure 2 Typically, a sub-array comprises 2 or 3 radiating elements fed by a feed pad coupled to an output of a phase shifter. It should be understood that a sub-array may comprise other numbers of radiating elements. Figure 1 In the example shown, because arrays 11 and 12 are aligned longitudinally, the phase centers of corresponding subarrays are substantially aligned. For example, as indicated by dashed lines F and I, phase center D of subarray 111 of array 11 is substantially aligned with phase center E of subarray 121 of array 12, and phase center G of subarray 112 is substantially aligned with phase center H of subarray 122.

[0006] As used herein, the phase centers of element A and element B are substantially aligned, meaning that at any point on the elevation plane (i.e., at any elevation angle), the phase of the electromagnetic radiation of element A is substantially consistent with the phase of the electromagnetic radiation of element B. An element may be a single radiating element, a combination of radiating elements, a subarray, a combination of subarrays, an array, etc.

[0007] Two adjacent arrays in arrays 21 to 24 are staggered in the longitudinal direction. For example, the longitudinal position of each radiating element 2 in array 21 is staggered relative to the longitudinal position of the corresponding radiating element 2 in array 22, as shown by the dotted lines B and C in the figure. The stagger amount s is equal to half of the longitudinal distance d between two adjacent radiating elements in the same array, that is, s = 0.5d. If arrays 21 to 24 use a feeding method similar to arrays 11 and 12, such as Figure 2 As shown, the phase centers of adjacent arrays will also shift accordingly. Each array in arrays 21 to 24 is fed by a phase shifter, and each sub-array is coupled to a corresponding output of the phase shifter. For simplicity, Figure 2Only the feeding configuration of array 24 is shown, and the feeding configurations of arrays 21 to 23 are similar. Phase shifter 3 feeds array 24. Array 24 includes sub-arrays 241 to 245, each sub-array including 2 or 3 radiating elements. Each of sub-arrays 241 to 245 is coupled to a corresponding output 31 to 35 of phase shifter 3. Each of arrays 21, 22, 23 is also coupled to a corresponding phase shifter (not shown), and each sub-array of the corresponding array is coupled to a corresponding output of the corresponding phase shifter. The phase center of a sub-array containing 3 radiating elements (for example, sub-array 241) is approximately located at the center of the middle radiating element, and the phase center of a sub-array containing 2 radiating elements is approximately located in the middle of the two radiating elements. If Figure 2 If arrays 21 to 24 are fed in this manner, the phase centers of corresponding subarrays in adjacent arrays will be misaligned. For example, the phase center of each of subarrays 211 to 214 in array 21 is offset longitudinally from the phase center of the corresponding subarray in array 22 by an offset distance s (also called a "stagger distance"). Because the number of radiating elements in array 22 or 24 is one less than the number of radiating elements in array 21 or 23, the phase centers of the subarrays at the bottom of each array are aligned, such as subarray 215 and its corresponding subarray in array 22.

[0008] The above-described feeding configuration of arrays 21 to 24 not only causes the phase centers of the corresponding subarrays between adjacent arrays to be offset, but also causes the phase centers of the entire array to be offset between adjacent arrays. For example, the phase center of array 21 is offset upward compared to the phase center of array 22. This phase center offset between adjacent arrays produces a spatial phase difference between the arrays, thereby distorting the radiation pattern of the antenna beam formed by these arrays.

[0009] Furthermore, it is desirable to electrically tilt the elevation of the antenna beam generated by the beamforming antenna to adjust the antenna's coverage area in the elevation plane. This can be accomplished using electromechanical phase shifters for each array separately. However, disadvantageously, as the applied electrical downtilt angle increases, the amount of distortion to the antenna beam caused by the shift in phase center between adjacent arrays can increase. To compensate for this distortion, different amplitude and / or phase weighting values ​​can be used for different radiating element arrays. However, incorporating such compensation systems increases the design complexity and / or cost of the antenna system. Summary of the Invention

[0010] One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a base station antenna.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged longitudinally along the base station antenna; and a second array comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged longitudinally along the base station antenna and laterally adjacent to the first array, wherein the longitudinal position of each second radiating element is staggered with the longitudinal position of the corresponding first radiating element, wherein the first array comprises a first and a second sub-array, either of the first and the second sub-array comprising one or more adjacent first radiating elements, wherein the combined phase center of the first and the second sub-array is substantially aligned with the sub-phase center of the second array.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a base station antenna, comprising: a first column of radiating elements, wherein the first column has a first sub-phase center; a second column of radiating elements laterally adjacent to the first column, the second column being offset from the first column in longitudinal position by a first offset amount, wherein the second column has a second sub-phase center, wherein the longitudinal positions of the first sub-phase center and the second sub-phase center are substantially aligned, wherein the first column comprises a first and a second subset of radiating elements, and the combined phase center of the first and the second subsets substantially coincides with the first sub-phase center.

[0013] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a base station antenna comprising: a first column of radiating elements, the first column comprising a first phase center; and a second column of radiating elements adjacent to the first column, the second column comprising a second phase center, the second column being staggered in longitudinal position from the first column, wherein the first and second phase centers are substantially aligned, wherein the first column comprises a first and a second subset, either of the first and the second subsets comprising one or more adjacent radiating elements, wherein the combined phase center of the first and the second subsets substantially coincides with the first phase center.

[0014] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; a second array comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, the second array being adjacent to the first array in the transverse direction, wherein the longitudinal position of the second radiating elements is staggered from the longitudinal position of the first radiating elements, wherein the phase center of a first subarray of the first array is at a first distance above the phase center of the first array, wherein the phase center of a second subarray of the first array is at the first distance below the phase center of the first array, wherein the phase center of the first subarray of the second array is at a second distance above the phase center of the second array, wherein the phase center of the second subarray of the second array is at the second distance below the phase center of the second array, wherein the phase center of the first array and the phase center of the second array are aligned in the transverse direction, and wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.

[0015] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a base station antenna is provided, comprising: a first array, comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; and a second array, comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, the second array being laterally adjacent to the first array, wherein the longitudinal position of the second radiating elements is staggered from the longitudinal position of the first radiation, and wherein the combined phase center of the first subarray and the second subarray of the first array is aligned with the combined phase center of the first subarray and the second subarray of the second array along the transverse axis.

[0016] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic front view of a radiating element array in a conventional base station antenna and a schematic diagram of the feeding configuration of some arrays.

[0019] Figure 2 Shown as a front view Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the feeding configuration of some other arrays.

[0020] Figure 3A FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a feeding configuration of some arrays in a base station antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention in a front view.

[0021] Figure 3B yes Figure 3A Schematic diagram of some subarrays in .

[0022] Figures 4A to 4C FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a feeding configuration of some arrays in a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present invention in a front view.

[0023] Figures 5A to 5E FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a feeding configuration of some arrays in a base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present invention in a front view.

[0024] Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are sometimes used in common across different drawings to denote the same parts or parts having the same functions, and their repeated descriptions are omitted. In some cases, similar reference numerals and letters are used to denote similar items, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0025] For ease of understanding, the positions, sizes, and ranges of various components shown in the drawings and the like may not represent actual positions, sizes, and ranges, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the positions, sizes, and ranges disclosed in the drawings and the like. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the invention. However, it should be understood that the invention can be presented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention and fully illustrate the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide many additional embodiments.

[0027] It should be understood that the terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0028] In this article, when an element is said to be "on", "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" to, or "in contact with" another element, the element may be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or in contact with another element, or there may be an intermediate element. In contrast, when an element is said to be "directly" "on", "directly attached" to, "directly connected" to, "directly coupled" to, or "in direct contact with" another element, there may be no intermediate element. In this article, a feature is arranged to be "adjacent" to another feature, and may refer to a feature having a portion that overlaps with an adjacent feature or a portion that is above or below an adjacent feature.

[0029] Throughout this document, reference may be made to elements, nodes, or features being "coupled." Unless expressly stated otherwise, "coupled" means that one element / node / feature can be connected to another element / node / feature directly or indirectly, mechanically, electrically, logically, or otherwise, to allow for interaction, even though the two features may not be directly connected. In other words, "coupled" is intended to encompass both direct and indirect connections of elements or other features, including connections using one or more intermediate elements.

[0030] As used herein, spatially relative terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "back," "higher," and "lower" may describe the relationship of one feature to another feature in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these spatially relative terms encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation shown in the accompanying drawings. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is turned over, a feature previously described as "below" another feature may now be described as "above" the other feature. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the relative spatial relationships will be interpreted accordingly.

[0031] Herein, the term "A or B" includes "A and B" and "A or B" rather than exclusively including "A" or only "B" unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0032] As used herein, the term "exemplary" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than as a "model" to be precisely copied. Any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, the present invention is not to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, summary, or detailed description.

[0033] As used herein, the term "substantially" is intended to encompass any minor variations due to design or manufacturing imperfections, device or component tolerances, environmental influences, and / or other factors. The term "substantially" also allows for deviations from a perfect or ideal condition due to parasitic effects, noise, and other practical considerations that may be present in actual implementations.

[0034] Additionally, terms such as "first," "second," and the like may also be used herein for reference purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the terms "first," "second," and other numerical terms referring to structures or elements do not imply a sequence or order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] It should also be understood that when the term “include / comprises” is used in this document, it indicates the presence of the specified features, steps, operations, units and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, units and / or components and / or their combinations.

[0036] It should be noted that in this article, phase centers other than the phase center of the entire array, such as the phase center of a radiating element, the phase center of a sub-array, the phase center of a combination of sub-arrays, etc., are also referred to as the "sub-phase center" of the array.

[0037] Figure 3A This figure is a schematic diagram illustrating the feed configuration for several arrays in a base station antenna according to one embodiment of the present invention. The base station antenna includes multiple laterally adjacent arrays 41 to 44, each of which includes multiple radiating elements arranged longitudinally along the antenna. Each array is fed by a corresponding phase shifter (not shown). In two adjacent arrays, the longitudinal position of each radiating element in one array is offset relative to the longitudinal position of the corresponding radiating element in the other array. The offset is s, which is equal to half the distance d between two adjacent radiating elements in one array.

[0038] The radiating elements in each array can be divided into subarrays, each coupled to a corresponding output of the phase shifter. In adjacent arrays 41 and 42, the phase centers of subarray 411 of array 41 and subarray 421 of array 42, subarray 413 and subarray 423, and subarray 415 and subarray 425 are substantially aligned, while the phase centers of subarrays 412 and subarray 422, and subarray 414 and subarray 424 are offset by a distance s. It will be appreciated that because the longitudinal positions of arrays 41 and 42 are offset, the number of radiating elements included in the subarrays with substantially aligned phase centers at corresponding positions in the two arrays is different. For example, the phase-aligned subarrays shown in the figure include two and three radiating elements, respectively. It should be understood that subarrays including other numbers of radiating elements can also be phase-aligned, such as subarrays including one and two radiating elements, or subarrays including one and four radiating elements, respectively.

[0039] If the phase centers of all subarrays in one array are aligned with the phase centers of the corresponding subarrays in the adjacent array, then the overall phase centers of the two arrays are aligned. Therefore, those aligned subarrays will not cause the phase centers of the two arrays to be offset. For ease of analysis, Figure 3B Only the sub-arrays 412, 414, 422, 424 of the arrays 41 and 42 whose phase centers are not aligned are shown, and those sub-arrays that do not shift the phase centers of the arrays 41 and 42 are omitted. When the electronic downtilt angle of the arrays 41 and 42 is θ, the radiating elements 51 to 58 ( Figure 3B ) in the elevation plane at a specific elevation angle to They are as follows, respectively, wherein the radiating element 58 is set as a reference point, that is, the phase of the radiating element 58 is 0.

[0040]

[0041] in, is the preset phase difference (e.g. caused by the feed line) between two radiating elements in a subarray (e.g. a group of radiating elements coupled to the same phase shifter output and fed by the same feed board), k is the transmission coefficient of electromagnetic waves in vacuum, and its value is

[0042] Therefore, in the case of an electronic downtilt angle of θ, the phase of the combination of subarrays 412 and 414 at a specific elevation angle in the elevation plane is In particular, the phase of subarray 412 is the phase of radiating element 55 and the average of the phase centers of the phase 0+0.5kdsinθ of the radiating element 57, that is, Similarly, the phase of subarray 414 is the phase of radiating element 52 and the average of the phase centers of the phase 0+4.5kd sinθ of the radiating element 54, that is, At a particular elevation angle in the elevation plane, the combined phase of subarrays 412 and 414 is The phase of the combination of subarrays 422 and 424 at a particular elevation angle in the elevation plane can be similarly calculated as It can be seen that the combined phase of subarrays 412 and 414 is consistent with the combined phase of subarrays 422 and 424, and this is true at all elevation angles. That is, at any point on the elevation plane, the combined phase of subarrays 412 and 414 is consistent with the combined phase of subarrays 422 and 424. Therefore, the combined phase center of subarrays 412 and 414 is aligned with the combined phase center of subarrays 422 and 424. It should be noted that although subarrays 412 and 414, both belonging to array 41, are coupled to different outputs of the phase shifter, they are both fed by the same phase shifter. The phase shifter has only one input (typically connected to a radio device outside the base station antenna via a cable). That is, the timing of the signal fed to subarray 412 is the same as the timing of the signal fed to subarray 414. Therefore, the electromagnetic radiation of subarray 412 and the electromagnetic radiation of subarray 414 can be spatially superimposed, resulting in the concept of a combined phase or phase center for subarrays 412 and 414. The same applies to subarrays 422 and 424.

[0043] In summary, in adjacent arrays 41 and 42, the phase centers of subarrays 411 and 421, subarrays 413 and 423, and subarrays 415 and 425 are substantially aligned, and the phase centers of the combination of subarrays 412 and 414 and the combination of subarrays 422 and 424 are also substantially aligned. Therefore, the overall phase center of array 41 is substantially aligned with the overall phase center of array 42. In the base station antenna according to this embodiment of the present invention, by designing the feeding configuration of the two adjacent arrays of radiating elements, the phase centers of the two staggered arrays are aligned as much as possible. This allows the base station antenna to have the advantages of staggered array positions while reducing or even eliminating to the greatest extent possible the adverse effects of phase center misalignment between the arrays.

[0044] therefore, Figure 3AThe base station antenna includes a first array 41 and a second array 42. The first array 41 has a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction, and the second array 42 includes a plurality of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction. The second array 42 is adjacent to the first array 41 in the transverse direction. The longitudinal positions of the second radiating elements are staggered from the longitudinal positions of the first radiating elements. The first array 41 includes first and second sub-arrays (e.g., sub-arrays 412 and 414), each sub-array including one or more adjacent first radiating elements. In addition, the combined phase center of the first and second sub-arrays (e.g., sub-arrays 412 and 414) is substantially aligned with the sub-phase center of the second array (e.g., the phase center of sub-array 423 and / or the combined phase center of sub-arrays 422 and 424).

[0045] First array 41 may include a first column of first radiating elements, and second array 42 may include a second column of second radiating elements, the second column being laterally adjacent to the first column. The longitudinal positions of the first column and the second column are offset by a first offset. The first column has a first sub-phase center (e.g., the phase center of subarray 413), the second column has a second sub-phase center (e.g., the phase center of subarray 423), and the longitudinal positions of the first and second sub-phase centers are substantially aligned. The first column includes first and second subsets of radiating elements (e.g., subarrays 412 and 414), and the combined phase centers of the first and second subsets are substantially coincident with the first sub-phase center.

[0046] from Figure 3A As can also be seen in FIG, the phase center of the first sub-array (sub-array 412) of the first array 41 is at a first distance above the phase center of the first array 41. The phase center of the second sub-array (sub-array 414) of the first array 41 is at a first distance below the phase center of the first array 41. Similarly, the phase center of the first sub-array (sub-array 422) of the second array 42 is at a second distance above the phase center of the second array 42. The phase center of the second sub-array (sub-array 424) of the second array 42 is at a second distance below the phase center of the second array 42. The phase center of the first array 41 is aligned with the phase center of the second array 42 in the transverse direction, and the first distance is different from the second distance.

[0047] The difference between the first distance and the second distance is less than the distance "d" between two adjacent first radiating elements in the first array. The difference between the first distance and the second distance may be equal to half the distance "d" between two adjacent first radiating elements in the first array. Figure 3A It can also be seen that the phase center of the combination of the first sub-array 412 and the second sub-array 414 of the first array 41 can be at the same position as the phase center of the first array 41 .

[0048] It should be noted that each array 41 to 44 comprises radiating elements that are precisely aligned along their respective longitudinal axes. It should be understood that in other cases the arrays / columns 41 to 44 may have a certain degree of horizontal staggering.

[0049] The positions of the two mutually coupled sub-arrays in the array can be arranged as needed. Figure 3B As can be seen from the description, when the elevation and downtilt angles are fixed, the phase of each radiating element is related to its position in the array (i.e., its distance from the reference point). Furthermore, when the number of radiating elements in the combined subarrays is the same, the two subarrays are symmetrical about the transverse axis passing through the combined phase center. Therefore, it is sufficient to arrange the two combined subarrays symmetrically on either side of the transverse axis passing through the combined phase center, without having to specify the distance between the subarrays and the combined phase center.

[0050] For example, in Figure 4A In the illustrated embodiment, the combined phase center of sub-array 411 at the uppermost end of array 41 and sub-array 415 at the lowermost end of array 41 is substantially aligned with the combined phase center of sub-array 421 at the uppermost end of array 42 and sub-array 425 at the lowermost end of array 42. Sub-arrays 412 and 422, 413 and 423, and 414 and 424, whose phase centers are aligned with each other, are all located in the middle of their respective arrays 41 and 42.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the sub-arrays that are combined to have a phase center that matches the combination of sub-arrays in the adjacent array contain two radiating elements. It should be understood that the combined sub-arrays can contain other numbers of radiating elements. For example, in Figure 4B In the illustrated embodiment, the combined phase center of subarray 412, which includes three radiating elements, and subarray 414, which includes three radiating elements, are substantially aligned with the combined phase center of subarray 422, which includes three radiating elements, and subarray 423, which includes three radiating elements. Furthermore, array 41 includes subarray 413, whose own phase center is aligned with the phase center of array 41. In this case, even though array 42 does not have a subarray that is phase-aligned with subarray 413, the phase centers of arrays 41 and 42 are still aligned. It should be noted that in Figure 4BIn the illustrated embodiment, arrays 41 and 42 have different numbers of subarrays. Array 41 includes five subarrays 411 to 415, and array 42 includes four subarrays 421 to 424. Array 41 can be fed using a phase shifter with five outputs, while array 42 can be fed using a phase shifter with four outputs, or using four outputs from a phase shifter with five outputs. The following phase shifter feeding methods for adjacent arrays with different numbers of subarrays are similar and will not be further described.

[0052] In some cases, the phase centers of the arrays can be slightly offset, and as long as the amount of offset of the phase centers of the arrays is less than the amount of offset of the physical centers of the arrays, it can be better than having Figure 2 The array with the feeding method shown above obtains less distortion, that is, better RF performance. It can be understood that the smaller the offset of the phase center between the arrays, the smaller the distortion of the radiation pattern of these arrays. Figure 4C In the illustrated embodiment, the phase centers of subarrays 411 and 421, as well as subarrays 413 and 423, are substantially aligned. The phase centers of the combination of subarrays 412 and 414, and the combination of subarrays 422 and 424, are substantially aligned. However, the phase centers of subarrays 415 and 425, located at the lowest ends of arrays 41 and 42, respectively, are offset by a distance s. Experiments have shown that the absence of phase-aligned subarrays in a few radiating element subarrays does not significantly adversely affect the RF performance of the base station antenna. In particular, as in this embodiment, the phase-misaligned subarrays are placed at the ends of the array, where the amplitude of the fed RF signal is minimal, to minimize the impact of the subarray's phase offset on the phase offset of the entire array.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the feed configurations of arrays 43 and 44 are identical to those of arrays 41 and 42, respectively, and therefore will not be further described. In the following embodiment, only two adjacent arrays 61 and 62 of a base station antenna are shown. It should be understood that the base station antenna may also include more arrays having similar feed configurations, or arrays having other known feed configurations.

[0054] In some cases, the physical centers of two adjacent arrays are substantially aligned, for example, when the number of radiating elements in the two arrays differs by one. In these cases, the phase centers of the two adjacent arrays can be substantially aligned simply by designing the feed configuration and adjusting the phase center of each array to roughly the physical center of the array. In addition, the adjacent arrays do not even need to contain sub-arrays with aligned phase centers. Figure 5AIn the illustrated embodiment, adjacent arrays 61 and 62 do not include subarrays whose phase centers are aligned. The phase centers of corresponding subarrays 611 and 621, 612 and 622, 614 and 623, and 615 and 624 are all offset by a distance s. Furthermore, no subarray in array 62 is aligned with the phase center of subarray 613 located in the middle of array 61. Nevertheless, the combined phase centers of subarrays 611 and 615, the combined phase centers of subarrays 612 and 614, and the phase center of subarray 613 can all substantially coincide with the physical center of array 61. The combined phase centers of subarrays 621 and 624, and the combined phase centers of subarrays 622 and 623 can all substantially coincide with the physical center of array 62. The physical centers of arrays 61 and 62 are substantially aligned. Therefore, the phase centers of arrays 61 and 62 are substantially aligned.

[0055] In the above embodiment, each of the combined sub-arrays contains more than one radiating element. Figure 5B In the embodiment shown, the phase centers of subarrays 611 and 621, subarrays 612 and 622, subarrays 614 and 625, and subarrays 615 and 626 are substantially aligned, and the combined phase center of subarrays 623 and 624 is substantially aligned with the phase center of subarray 613. Therefore, the phase centers of the entire arrays 61 and 62 are substantially aligned. Figure 5C In the illustrated embodiment, the phase centers of subarrays 612 and 621, subarrays 613 and 622, subarrays 615 and 625, and subarrays 616 and 626 are substantially aligned. The combined phase center of subarrays 623 and 624, as well as the combined phase center of subarrays 611 and 617, are all substantially aligned with the phase center of subarray 614. Therefore, the phase centers of the entire arrays 61 and 62 are substantially aligned.

[0056] The number of radiating elements included in the combined sub-arrays of one array may be different from the number of radiating elements included in the combined sub-arrays of another array. Figure 5D In the illustrated embodiment, the phase centers of subarrays 612 and 621, subarrays 613 and 622, subarrays 615 and 625, and subarrays 616 and 626 are substantially aligned. The combined phase center of subarrays 623 and 624, and the combined phase center of subarrays 611 and 617, are all substantially aligned with the phase center of subarray 614. Thus, the phase centers of the entire arrays 61 and 62 are substantially aligned. Figure 5EIn the illustrated embodiment, the phase centers of subarrays 613 and 623 are substantially aligned. The combined phase centers of subarrays 612 and 614, and the combined phase centers of subarrays 611 and 615, are substantially aligned with the phase center of subarray 613. The combined phase centers of subarrays 622 and 624, and the combined phase centers of subarrays 621 and 625, are substantially aligned with the phase center of subarray 623. Thus, the phase centers of the entire arrays 61 and 62 are substantially aligned.

[0057] In addition, embodiments of the present invention may further include the following examples:

[0058] 1. A base station antenna, comprising:

[0059] A first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; and

[0060] a second array comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged longitudinally of the base station antenna and laterally adjacent to the first array, wherein the longitudinal position of each second radiating element is staggered with the longitudinal position of the corresponding first radiating element,

[0061] The first array includes a first and a second sub-array, and either of the first and the second sub-array includes one or more adjacent first radiating elements.

[0062] Wherein, the combined phase center of the first and second sub-arrays is substantially aligned with the sub-phase center of the second array.

[0063] 2. The base station antenna according to item 1, further comprising a first phase shifter configured to feed the first array, wherein the first and second sub-arrays are coupled to first and second outputs of the first phase shifter, respectively.

[0064] 3. The base station antenna according to 1, characterized in that the number of first radiating elements included in the first subarray is equal to the number of first radiating elements included in the second subarray.

[0065] 4. The base station antenna according to item 1 is characterized in that the number of first radiating elements included in the first subarray is different from the number of first radiating elements included in the second subarray.

[0066] 5. The base station antenna according to 1 is characterized in that the second array includes a third subarray, the third subarray includes one or more adjacent second radiating elements, wherein the sub-phase center of the second array includes the phase center of the third subarray.

[0067] 6. The base station antenna according to 1 is characterized in that the second array includes a third and a fourth sub-array, either of the third and fourth sub-arrays includes one or more adjacent second radiating elements, wherein the sub-phase center of the second array includes the combined phase center of the third and fourth sub-arrays.

[0068] 7. The base station antenna according to 6, further comprising a second phase shifter configured to feed the second array, wherein the third and fourth sub-arrays are coupled to the first and second outputs of the second phase shifter, respectively.

[0069] 8. The base station antenna according to item 6, wherein the first subarray and the second subarray each include a first number of first radiating elements, and the third subarray and the fourth subarray each include a first number of second radiating elements.

[0070] 9. The base station antenna according to item 6, wherein the first and second subarrays each include a first number of first radiating elements, the third and fourth subarrays each include a second number of second radiating elements, and the first number is not equal to the second number.

[0071] 10. The base station antenna according to 1 or 6, characterized in that the first and second arrays further include a fifth and a sixth subarray, respectively, wherein the phase center of the fifth subarray is substantially aligned with the phase center of the sixth subarray.

[0072] 11. The base station antenna according to 1 or 6, characterized in that the first array further includes a fifth subarray, and the second array further includes a sixth subarray, the sixth subarray is located in the same position in the second array as the fifth subarray in the first array, wherein the longitudinal position of the phase center of the fifth subarray is staggered from the longitudinal position of the phase center of the sixth subarray, and the fifth and sixth subarrays are both located at the corresponding ends of the first and second arrays.

[0073] 12. A base station antenna, comprising:

[0074] a first column of radiating elements, wherein the first column has a first sub-phase center;

[0075] a second column of radiating elements laterally adjacent to the first column, the second column being longitudinally offset from the first column by a first offset, wherein the second column has a second sub-phase center,

[0076] wherein the longitudinal positions of the first sub-phase center and the second sub-phase center are substantially aligned,

[0077] The first column includes first and second subsets of radiating elements, and the combined phase centers of the first and second subsets substantially coincide with the first sub-phase center.

[0078] 13. The base station antenna according to 12, characterized in that the first and second subsets each contain a first number of adjacent radiating elements, and the first and second subsets are arranged in the first column symmetrically with respect to a transverse axis passing through the first sub-phase center.

[0079] 14. The base station antenna according to 13, characterized in that the second column includes third and fourth subsets of radiating elements, and the combined phase center of the third and fourth subsets substantially coincides with the second sub-phase center.

[0080] 15. The base station antenna according to 14, wherein the third and fourth subsets each comprise a second number of adjacent radiating elements, and are arranged in the second column symmetrically with respect to a transverse axis passing through the second sub-phase center.

[0081] 16. The base station antenna according to 15 is characterized in that the phase center of the first subset has a first distance to the first sub-phase center, the phase center of the third subset has a second distance to the second sub-phase center, and the first distance is not equal to the second distance.

[0082] 17. The base station antenna according to 15, wherein the first number is equal to the second number.

[0083] 18. The base station antenna according to 15, wherein the first number is not equal to the second number.

[0084] 19. The base station antenna according to 15, characterized in that the longitudinal extension areas of the first and third subsets have overlapping parts.

[0085] 20. The base station antenna according to 15, characterized in that the longitudinal extension areas of the first and third subsets have no overlapping parts.

[0086] 21. The base station antenna according to 12, wherein the second column comprises a third subset of radiating elements, and the phase center of the third subset substantially coincides with the second subset phase center.

[0087] 22. The base station antenna according to 12, wherein the overall phase center of the first column coincides with the first sub-phase center, and the overall phase center of the second column coincides with the second sub-phase center.

[0088] 23. The base station antenna according to 12 is characterized in that the first column further includes a fifth subset, the second column further includes a sixth subset, the sixth subset is located in the same position in the second column as the fifth subset in the first column, wherein the longitudinal position of the phase center of the fifth subset is staggered with the longitudinal position of the phase center of the sixth subset, so that the longitudinal position of the overall phase center of the first column is staggered with the longitudinal position of the overall phase center of the second column and has a second stagger amount, wherein the second stagger amount is smaller than the first stagger amount.

[0089] 24. A base station antenna, comprising:

[0090] a first column of radiating elements, the first column comprising a first phase center; and

[0091] a second column of radiating elements adjacent to the first column, the second column including a second phase center, the second column being longitudinally offset from the first column,

[0092] wherein the first and second phase centers are substantially aligned,

[0093] wherein the first column comprises first and second subsets, either of the first and second subsets comprising one or more adjacent radiating elements,

[0094] Wherein, a combined phase center of the first and second subsets substantially coincides with the first phase center.

[0095] 25. The base station antenna according to 24 is characterized in that the first column further includes a third subset, the third subset includes one or more adjacent radiating elements, wherein the phase center of the third subset substantially coincides with the first phase center.

[0096] 26. The base station antenna according to 24, characterized in that the first phase center substantially coincides with the physical center of the first column.

[0097] 27. The base station antenna according to 24, wherein the first and second columns are configured to jointly generate the same antenna beam.

[0098] 28. A base station antenna, comprising:

[0099] a first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna;

[0100] a second array comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, the second array being adjacent to the first array in the transverse direction, wherein the longitudinal positions of the second radiating elements are staggered from the longitudinal positions of the first radiating elements;

[0101] wherein the phase center of the first sub-array of the first array is at a first distance above the phase center of the first array,

[0102] wherein the phase center of the second sub-array of the first array is at the first distance below the phase center of the first array,

[0103] wherein the phase center of the first sub-array of the second array is at a second distance above the phase center of the second array,

[0104] wherein the phase center of the second sub-array of the second array is at the second distance below the phase center of the second array,

[0105] wherein the phase center of the first array and the phase center of the second array are aligned in the transverse direction, and

[0106] The first distance is different from the second distance.

[0107] 29. The base station antenna according to 28, characterized in that the difference between the first distance and the second distance is smaller than the distance between two adjacent first radiating elements in the first array.

[0108] 30. The base station antenna according to 28, characterized in that the difference between the first distance and the second distance is equal to half of the distance between two adjacent first radiating elements in the first array.

[0109] 31. The base station antenna according to 28, wherein a phase center of a combination of the first subarray and the second subarray of the first array is at the same position as a phase center of the first array.

[0110] 32. A base station antenna, comprising:

[0111] a first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; and

[0112] a second array comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, the second array being laterally adjacent to the first array, wherein the longitudinal positions of the second radiating elements are staggered from the longitudinal positions of the first radiating elements;

[0113] The combined phase center of the first sub-array and the second sub-array of the first array is aligned with the combined phase center of the first sub-array and the second sub-array of the second array along the transverse axis.

[0114] 33. The base station antenna according to 32, wherein the phase center of the third subarray of the first array is aligned with the phase center of the third subarray of the second array along the transverse axis.

[0115] Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The various embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A base station antenna, comprising: a staggered array of radiating elements, the staggered array comprising a first column of radiating elements and a laterally spaced second column of radiating elements, wherein the first column of radiating elements comprises a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays comprising a first sub-array and a second sub-array, wherein the second column of radiating elements comprises a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays comprising a first sub-array and a second sub-array, wherein the phase center of the first subarray in the second column is at a first distance from the phase center of the second column of radiating elements, and the phase center of the second subarray in the second column is also at the first distance from the phase center of the second column of radiating elements, wherein the phase center of the first subarray in the first column is at a second distance from the phase center of the first column of radiating elements, and the phase center of the second subarray in the first column is also at the second distance from the phase center of the first column of radiating elements, wherein the first distance and the second distance are different, and wherein the phase center of the first subarray of the second column horizontally overlaps with one of the radiating elements of the first subarray in the first column of radiating elements, and the phase center of the second subarray in the second column horizontally overlaps with one of the radiating elements of the second subarray in the first column.

2. The base station antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The combined phase center of the first sub-array and the second sub-array in the second column is aligned with the combined phase center of the first sub-array and the second sub-array in the first column.

3. The base station antenna according to claim 1, wherein: The staggered array of radiating elements is a staggered array of crossed dipole radiating elements.

4. A base station antenna, comprising: a staggered array of radiating elements, the staggered array comprising a first column of radiating elements and a laterally spaced second column of radiating elements, wherein the first column of radiating elements comprises a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays comprising a first sub-array and a second sub-array, wherein the second column of radiating elements comprises a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays comprising a first sub-array and a second sub-array, wherein the phase center of the first subarray in the second column is at a first distance from the phase center of the second column of radiating elements, and the phase center of the second subarray in the second column is also at the first distance from the phase center of the second column of radiating elements, wherein the phase center of the first subarray in the first column is at a second distance from the phase center of the first column of radiating elements, and the phase center of the second subarray in the first column is also at the second distance from the phase center of the first column of radiating elements, wherein the first distance and the second distance are different, The phase center of the first subarray in the second column is not aligned with the phase center of any subarray in the multiple subarrays in the first column, and the phase center of the first subarray in the first column is not aligned with the phase center of any subarray in the multiple subarrays in the second column.

5. A base station antenna, comprising: a first array of radiating elements, the first array being provided as a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays being longitudinally spaced apart in a first column; as well as a second array of radiating elements, the second array being provided as a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays being longitudinally spaced apart in a second column, wherein the first column is positioned laterally adjacent to the second column, The phase center of a first subarray among the plurality of subarrays in the first array is longitudinally offset from the phase center of an adjacent first subarray among the plurality of subarrays in the second array. wherein the first subarray of the first array is located between other subarrays of the plurality of subarrays of the first array, and The first sub-array of the second array of radiation elements is located between other sub-arrays of the plurality of sub-arrays of the second array.

6. A base station antenna, comprising: a first array of radiating elements, the first array being provided as a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays being longitudinally spaced apart in a first column; as well as a second array of radiating elements, the second array being provided as a plurality of sub-arrays of radiating elements, the plurality of sub-arrays being longitudinally spaced apart in a second column, wherein the first column is positioned laterally adjacent to the second column, The phase center of a first subarray among the plurality of subarrays in the first array is longitudinally offset from the phase center of an adjacent first subarray among the plurality of subarrays in the second array. The base station antenna includes a signal feed configuration arranged such that a phase center of each of the first array and the second array is located at a physical center and aligned with each other, while phase centers of some of the multiple subarrays of the first array and the second array have misaligned phase centers.

7. A base station antenna, comprising: a first array, the first array comprising a plurality of sub-arrays of first radiating elements, wherein each sub-array of the first radiating elements is located on a corresponding first feeding board, and the plurality of sub-arrays of the first radiating elements are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; and a second array, the second array comprising a plurality of sub-arrays of second radiating elements, wherein each sub-array of the second radiating elements is located on a corresponding second feeding board, and the plurality of sub-arrays of the second radiating elements are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; wherein a phase center of a first subarray of the subarrays of the first radiating elements is not aligned with a corresponding phase center of any subarray of the subarrays of the second radiating elements, and The combined phase center of the first subarray in the subarray of the first radiating element and the second subarray in the subarray of the first radiating element is aligned with the combined phase center of the first subarray in the subarray of the second radiating element and the second subarray in the subarray of the second radiating element.

8. A base station antenna, comprising: a first longitudinally extending array comprising a plurality of first feed pads, wherein each first feed pad includes one or more first radiating elements mounted thereon; a second longitudinally extending array comprising a plurality of second feed pads, wherein each second feed pad includes one or more second radiating elements mounted thereon, wherein none of the first radiating elements are laterally aligned with any of the second radiating elements; wherein a phase center of a combination of a first radiating element mounted on a first one of the first feed boards and a first radiating element mounted on a second one of the first feed boards is aligned with a phase center of a combination of a second radiating element mounted on a first one of the second feed boards and a second radiating element mounted on a second one of the second feed boards.

9. A base station antenna, comprising: a first array comprising a plurality of sub-arrays of first radiating elements arranged along a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; a second array comprising a plurality of sub-arrays of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, wherein a phase center of an uppermost subarray of the subarrays of the first radiating elements is not aligned with a phase center of any subarray of the subarrays of the second radiating elements, and The combined phase center of the top subarray in the subarray of the first radiating element and the bottom subarray in the subarray of the first radiating element is aligned with the combined phase center of the top subarray in the subarray of the second radiating element and the bottom subarray in the subarray of the second radiating element.

10. A base station antenna, comprising: a first array comprising a plurality of first radiating elements arranged along a longitudinal direction of the base station antenna; a second array, the second array comprising a plurality of second radiating elements arranged along the longitudinal direction of the base station antenna, the second array being laterally adjacent to the first array, wherein the longitudinal positions of the second radiating elements are staggered from the longitudinal positions of the first radiating elements; wherein the phase center of the first sub-array of the first array is at a first distance above the phase center of the first array, wherein the phase center of the second sub-array of the first array is below the phase center of the first array by the first distance, wherein the phase center of the first sub-array of the second array is at a second distance above the phase center of the second array, wherein the phase center of the second sub-array of the second array is below the phase center of the second array by the second distance, wherein the phase center of the first array and the phase center of the second array are aligned in the transverse direction, and The first distance is different from the second distance.

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