Antenna array and ground communication device
By introducing a single-bit phase shifter into the antenna array and combining it with electronic tilt switching, the problem that traditional antennas cannot meet the requirements of integrated low-altitude and ground coverage is solved. This enables flexible coverage adjustment and low-cost air-to-ground coverage design, reducing signal interference and operational complexity.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA MOBILE COMM LTD RES INST
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
Smart Images
Figure CN224328898U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of wireless communication, and in particular to an antenna array and a ground communication device. Background Technology
[0002] With the booming development of the low-altitude economy, low-altitude communication networking has become one of the key technologies driving continuous innovation and breakthroughs in this field. Traditional terrestrial communication networks primarily cover the ground, and typical wireless base station antennas usually have a fixed downtilt angle, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it has 4 digital channels in the vertical dimension, each connected to 3 antenna elements. When the electronic downtilt angle is set to 6° and the mechanical downtilt angle is set to 6° respectively, the ground cell radius is 350 meters. Figure 2 As shown, base stations can achieve ground communication, but in the drone scenario, the network coverage range of the base station changes to an area of 120 to 300 meters in the air. The antenna direction needs to be changed to upward, but the fixed downward tilt angle setting means that the base station cannot meet the requirements of integrated low-altitude and ground coverage. Utility Model Content
[0003] The purpose of this utility model embodiment is to provide an antenna array and ground communication equipment that can meet the requirements of integrated low-altitude and ground coverage.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an antenna array, including at least one primary antenna element, each primary antenna element being connected to a digital channel, and each primary antenna element including at least one phase shifter and at least one secondary antenna element.
[0005] The phase shifter corresponds one-to-one with the secondary antenna unit; when the phase shifter is in the first state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit is the first range; when the phase shifter is in the second state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit is the second range.
[0006] As an improvement to the above scheme, when the signal coverage range is a first range, the electronic downtilt angle of the secondary antenna unit is a first angle.
[0007] As an improvement to the above scheme, when the signal coverage range is the second range, the electronic uptilt angle of the secondary antenna element is the second angle.
[0008] As an improvement to the above scheme, the mechanical tilt angle of the secondary antenna element is 0°.
[0009] As an improvement to the above scheme, when the signal coverage range is the first range, the vertical coverage angle of the secondary antenna element is the third angle.
[0010] As an improvement to the above scheme, when the signal coverage range is the second range, the vertical coverage angle of the secondary antenna element is the fourth angle.
[0011] As an improvement to the above scheme, the phase shifter is a single-bit phase shifter.
[0012] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model embodiment also provides a ground communication device, including the antenna array described in any of the above embodiments.
[0013] Compared with existing technologies, the antenna array and ground communication equipment disclosed in this utility model, by setting a phase shifter in the antenna array and switching between a first and a second state, enables flexible adjustment of the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit in the first and second ranges. This allows for dynamic changes in the coverage area according to the actual scenario, meeting the requirements for integrated low-altitude and ground coverage. Furthermore, this structural design allows the antenna array to quickly adapt to various communication scenarios (such as switching between ground and low-altitude coverage) through simple phase shifter state switching, without the need for complex mechanical adjustments or system reconfiguration. This reduces usage costs and operational difficulty, and enhances adaptability to different environments. Attached Figure Description
[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna array provided by existing technology;
[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the coverage area of an antenna array provided by existing technology;
[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna array provided in an embodiment of this utility model;
[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the coverage area of the antenna array provided in this embodiment of the utility model;
[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another antenna array structure provided in an embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0019] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.
[0020] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.
[0021] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.
[0022] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0023] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna array 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna array 100 includes at least one primary antenna element 10. Each primary antenna element is connected to a digital channel. Each primary antenna element 10 includes at least one phase shifter 11 and at least one secondary antenna element 12. The phase shifter 11 corresponds one-to-one with the secondary antenna element 12, that is, the number of phase shifters 11 is the same as the number of secondary antenna elements 12, and they are connected one-to-one.
[0024] Specifically, when the phase shifter 11 is in the first state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit 12 is the first range; when the phase shifter 11 is in the second state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit 12 is the second range.
[0025] For example, the first range can be the ground coverage range, such as a ground cell radius of 350m, and the second range can be the low-altitude coverage range, such as a low-altitude coverage distance of less than or equal to 2km.
[0026] In this embodiment of the invention, a phase shifter 11 is introduced into the traditional terrestrial communication base station architecture. By controlling the state of the phase shifter 11, time-sharing coverage for low-altitude and ground-based applications is achieved. Furthermore, by employing the phase shifter 11, electronically preset tilt angles can be independently configured for low-altitude and ground-based applications, achieving a dedicated network effect of "independent use and mutual isolation" for ground users and drone users.
[0027] Specifically, when the signal coverage area is a first range, the electronic downtilt angle of the secondary antenna unit 12 is a first angle; when the signal coverage area is a second range, the electronic uptilt angle of the secondary antenna unit 12 is a second angle. The mechanical tilt angle of the secondary antenna unit is 0°.
[0028] For example, see Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the coverage area of the antenna array provided in this embodiment of the utility model. The mechanical tilt angle of the antenna array is set to 0°. The mechanical tilt angle refers to the angle formed by adjusting the antenna with respect to the vertical direction through physical means. The adjustment of the mechanical tilt angle needs to be achieved by changing the physical position of the antenna (such as lowering or raising the antenna). When the mechanical tilt angle is set to 0°, it is not necessary to lower or raise the antenna array, and the original height position of the antenna array remains unchanged. The electronic downtilt angle of the antenna array is set to a first angle θ, and the electronic uptilt angle is set to a second angle ψ. Table 1 lists the correspondence between the phase shifter's state and the antenna tilt angle and coverage area. When the phase shifter is in the first state (represented by "1"), the mechanical tilt angle of the antenna array is 0°, the electronic downtilt angle is set to the first angle θ, and the electronic uptilt angle is set to 0°. At this time, the coverage area of this architecture is the first range, which can be the same as the traditional terrestrial communication network, mainly ground-based. For example, when the station height is 25-35 meters, the first range is a ground cell radius of 350 meters. When the phase shifter is in the second state (represented by "0"), the mechanical tilt angle of the antenna array is 0°, the electronic downtilt angle is set to 0°, and the electronic uptilt angle is set to the second angle ψ. At this time, the coverage area of this architecture is the second range, mainly low-altitude. For example, the second range is mainly concentrated in the air area of 120-300 meters, and the ground cell radius is less than or equal to 2 kilometers.
[0029] Table 1. Correspondence between phase shifter status and antenna tilt angle / coverage range
[0030] Phase shifter status Mechanical tilt angle Electron undertilt electron uptilt Coverage / Distance First state (1) 0° θ 0° First Scope Second state (0) 0° 0° ψ Second range
[0031] In this embodiment of the invention, by fixing the mechanical angle to 0° and utilizing the switching of electronic downtilt and uptilt angles, signal coverage is achieved in both the ground (first range) and low-altitude (second range) areas, while simultaneously avoiding interference zones. This embodies the design concept of a base station that considers both air and ground coverage. Furthermore, in existing technologies, low-altitude communication can be achieved by constructing a dedicated air-to-ground communication network. However, this method has low initial network efficiency and requires the deployment of both air-to-ground and ground-to-ground modules for future low-altitude communication, resulting in high equipment and maintenance costs. In contrast, base station architectures that consider both ground and low-altitude coverage have high single-site costs and suffer from unavoidable signal interference within a horizontal height range of 120 meters. The antenna array of this invention, by setting a reasonable uptilt angle, can achieve no coverage within a horizontal height range of 120 meters, effectively avoiding signal interference in this area and thus effectively suppressing cross-regional interference within this range.
[0032] Specifically, the phase shifter 11 is a single-bit phase shifter (1-bit phase shifter).
[0033] For example, a single-bit phase shifter is a device capable of switching between two phase states. Its core principle is to generate two phase outputs—a first state and a second state—by controlling the signal transmission path or circuit state and utilizing time delay differences or differences in circuit characteristics. A single-bit phase shifter, with its simple dual-state control (0 or 1), meets the phase switching requirements in specific scenarios.
[0034] In this embodiment of the invention, by introducing a single-bit phase shifter, the number of switches used in a single device is reduced, which can effectively reduce costs. Furthermore, using a single-bit phase shifter instead of a multi-state n-bit phase shifter can reduce both the cost of the base station architecture and effectively reduce the insertion loss of the base station architecture.
[0035] It should be noted that both the first angle and the second angle are electronic tilt angles. By setting the electronic downtilt angle, the beam is deflected downwards to focus on the ground area and reduce ineffective radiation to the upper atmosphere. For low-altitude coverage, the electronic uptilt angle is set to deflect the beam upwards to focus on the low-altitude area and meet the communication needs of low-altitude equipment such as drones.
[0036] For example, the electronic downtilt angle is the deflection angle of the antenna beam towards the ground (vertically downwards), and its maximum value is limited by the vertical beamwidth of the antenna and the array design. In this embodiment of the invention, the electronic downtilt angle is a first angle. The electronic uptilt angle is the deflection angle of the antenna beam towards the sky (vertically upwards), and its maximum value is limited by the altitude of the low-altitude target and the antenna elevation gain. In this embodiment of the invention, the electronic uptilt angle is a second angle.
[0037] In this embodiment of the utility model, the electronic preset tilt angle, namely the first angle and the second angle, is controlled by a 1-bit phase shifter, which achieves a perfect balance between the accuracy of ground coverage, the effectiveness of low-altitude coverage and the economy of hardware design. This not only meets the communication needs in different scenarios, but also improves the system reliability through interference isolation and standardized design.
[0038] Furthermore, when the signal coverage area is a first range, the vertical coverage angle of the secondary antenna element is a third angle. When the signal coverage area is a second range, the vertical coverage angle of the secondary antenna element is a fourth angle.
[0039] For example, the vertical coverage angle refers to the width of the antenna's radiating beam in the vertical plane, which determines the signal coverage range and shape in the vertical direction. A narrower beamwidth results in more concentrated energy and a longer coverage distance, but a smaller coverage height range; a wider beamwidth results in a larger coverage height range, but a shorter distance. In this embodiment, the vertical coverage angle is either a third angle or a fourth angle, and the specific angle value can be determined based on the required signal coverage range. For example, the values of the third and fourth angles are in the range of 24-60° (this is just an example and not limited to this). The values of the third and fourth angles can be the same or different. A second-level phase shifter can be added to control the vertical coverage angle of the second-level antenna unit based on the existing first-level phase shifter. By combining the electronic tilt angle and the vertical coverage angle, beam coverage for different scenarios can be achieved. For example, to cover distant low-rise users, a large electronic tilt angle + narrow vertical beam can be used; to cover nearby multi-story buildings, a small tilt angle + wide vertical beam may be selected. In this embodiment, beam coverage for different scenarios can be achieved by controlling the vertical coverage angle.
[0040] See Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another antenna array structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 For typical applications of air-to-ground dual-mode base station architecture using single-bit phase shifters, in Figure 1Based on the traditional terrestrial communication base station architecture shown, a single-bit phase shifter is added to form a 2.6GHz 384-element air-to-ground dual-use base station architecture. It has four digital channels in the vertical dimension, each connected to three single-bit phase shifters, which in turn connect to three antenna elements. By changing the state of the single-bit phase shifters, the electronic preset tilt angle of the antennas is controlled, thereby achieving time-division multiplexing coverage for low-altitude and ground-based applications, while effectively suppressing cross-area interference within a horizontal height range of up to 120 meters. When the network coverage of this architecture is primarily ground-based, i.e., when the phase shifter is in the first state, the electronic downtilt angle of the secondary antenna element is the first angle, and its vertical beam scanning angle is the third angle (e.g., the third angle is 24°), with a first range of a ground cell radius of 350 meters. When the network coverage of this architecture is primarily low-altitude, i.e., when the phase shifter is in the second state, the electronic uptilt angle of the secondary antenna element is the second angle, and its vertical beam scanning angle is the third angle (e.g., the fourth angle is 24°), with a second range of a ground cell radius less than or equal to 2 kilometers.
[0041] Furthermore, this embodiment of the invention also provides a terrestrial communication device, including the antenna array described in any of the above embodiments. For example, the terrestrial communication device may be a base station.
[0042] In this embodiment of the invention, by setting a phase shifter in the antenna array and switching between a first and a second state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit can be flexibly adjusted between the first and second ranges. This allows for dynamic changes in the coverage area based on the actual scenario, meeting the requirements for integrated low-altitude and ground coverage. Furthermore, this structural design enables the antenna array to quickly adapt to various communication scenarios (such as switching between ground and low-altitude coverage) through simple phase shifter state switching, eliminating the need for complex mechanical adjustments or system reconfiguration. This reduces usage costs and operational complexity, enhances adaptability to different environments, and effectively improves system efficiency, achieving a dedicated network effect of "independent use and mutual isolation" for ground users and drone users.
[0043] The above description is the preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. An antenna array, characterized in that, It includes at least one primary antenna element, each of which is connected to a digital channel, and each primary antenna element includes at least one phase shifter and at least one secondary antenna element; The phase shifter corresponds one-to-one with the secondary antenna unit; when the phase shifter is in the first state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit is the first range; when the phase shifter is in the second state, the signal coverage range of the secondary antenna unit is the second range.
2. The antenna array as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the signal coverage area is a first range, the electronic downtilt angle of the secondary antenna element is a first angle.
3. The antenna array as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the signal coverage area is the second range, the electronic uptilt angle of the secondary antenna element is the second angle.
4. The antenna array as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical tilt angle of the secondary antenna element is 0°.
5. The antenna array as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the signal coverage area is the first range, the vertical coverage angle of the secondary antenna element is the third angle.
6. The antenna array as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the signal coverage range is the second range, the vertical coverage angle of the secondary antenna element is the fourth angle.
7. The antenna array as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The phase shifter is a single-bit phase shifter.
8. A terrestrial communication device, characterized in that, The antenna array includes any one of claims 1 to 7.