Antenna array with independent rotating radiation elements

Abstract

To provide an antenna array that includes a number of antenna cells arranged in an antenna array global coordinate system.SOLUTION: In an antenna array 400, each of multiple antenna cells 402 has a respective local coordinate system (XA, YA, etc.) and includes a radiating element 406 with a predetermined rotation angle defined in a global coordinate system 404, and ports 4141, 4142 connected to the radiating element. The ports are located at a specific set of coordinates in the respective local coordinate system. The specific set of coordinates of the ports of each of the multiple antenna cells can be the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to antennas, and more specifically, to an antenna array having rotating radiating elements. [Background Art]

[0002] An antenna array (or array antenna) is a set of multiple radiating elements that operates as a single antenna to transmit or receive radio waves. Individual radiating elements (often simply referred to as "elements") may be connected to a receiver and / or a transmitter via circuitry that applies appropriate amplitude and / or phase adjustment to the signals received and / or transmitted by the radiating elements. When used for transmission, the radio waves radiated by each individual radiating element are combined and superimposed on each other, added (constructively interfere) to enhance the power radiated in a desired direction, and canceled (destructively interfere) to reduce the power radiated in other directions. Similarly, when used for reception, signals received separately from individual radiating elements are combined with appropriate amplitude and / or phase relationships to enhance signals received from desired directions and cancel signals from undesired directions.

[0003] Antenna arrays can achieve higher gain (directivity) with narrower beams of radio waves than what can be achieved with a single antenna. In general, the greater the number of individual antenna elements used, the higher the gain and the narrower the beam. Some antenna arrays (such as phased array radars) can be composed of thousands of individual antennas. Greater gain can be achieved using an array, which improves communication reliability, thereby allowing interference from specific directions to be canceled, radio beams to be electronically steered to point to different directions, and / or radio directions to be detected. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] One example relates to an antenna array that can include multiple antenna cells arranged in the global coordinate system of the antenna array. Each of the multiple antenna cells has its own local coordinate system and may include a radiating element having a predetermined rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system, and an antenna port connected to the radiating element, the antenna port being located in a specific set of coordinates in its respective local coordinate system. The specific set of coordinates for each antenna port of the multiple antenna cells can be the same. In addition, a predetermined rotation angle of the radiating element of the first antenna cell among the multiple antenna cells is the first rotation angle in the global coordinate system. A predetermined rotation angle of the radiating element of the second antenna cell among the multiple antenna cells can be the second rotation angle in the global coordinate system. The second rotation angle may be different from the first rotation angle.

[0005] Another example relates to a multilayer PCB (printed circuit board) that may include a beamforming layer. This beamforming layer has multiple traces that form a beamforming network (BFN), which is connected to multiple antenna ports that form vias extending away from the beamforming network (BFN). The BFN may include multiple combiners / dividers that convert an input signal into multiple sub-signals. Each of the sub-signals may have equal power and phase arrangements. Each of the sub-signals may communicate to one of the multiple antenna ports. The multilayer PCB may also include multiple antenna cells arranged in the global coordinate system of the multilayer PCB. These multiple antenna cells form a regular tiling pattern. Each of the multiple antenna cells may have its own local coordinate system. Each antenna cell may include a radiating layer with a radiating element having a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system. Each antenna cell may also include a feedline layer which may have feedlines connecting the corresponding antenna port of the multiple antenna ports to the radiating element. Each antenna port can intersect with the feedline layer in a specific set of coordinates within its respective local coordinate system. The specific set of coordinates for each of multiple antenna cells can be the same. In addition, a predetermined rotation angle of the radiating element of the first antenna cell among the multiple antenna cells can be the first rotation angle in the global coordinate system. A predetermined rotation angle of the radiating element of the second antenna cell among the multiple antenna cells can be the second rotation angle in the global coordinate system, and the second rotation angle may differ from the first rotation angle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] This shows a plan view of an antenna array having multiple antenna cells.

[0007] [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a plan view of the beamforming network (BFN) that communicates with the antenna array.

[0008] [Figure 3] An extended plan view of BFN is shown.

[0009] [Figure 4] An example of a BFN array is shown.

[0010] [Figure 5] A plan view of another antenna array with multiple antenna cells is shown.

[0011] [Figure 6] Figure 5 shows a plan view of another BFN communicating with the antenna array.

[0012] [Figure 7] Another extended plan view of another BFN is shown.

[0013] [Figure 8] A plan view of yet another antenna array having multiple antenna cells is shown.

[0014] [Figure 9] Figure 8 shows a plan view of yet another BFN communicating with the antenna array.

[0015] [Figure 10] Further extended plan views of another BFN are shown.

[0016] [Figure 11] This shows a stack diagram of a multilayer printed circuit board for implementing a system with an antenna array and a BFN.

[0017] [Figure 12] This shows a block diagram of the system that implements the antenna array and BFN. Description of Embodiments of the Invention

[0018] The present disclosure describes an antenna array having a plurality of antenna cells arranged in a global coordinate system, each antenna cell having its own unique local coordinate system. Each antenna cell of the antenna array may have a radiating element (e.g., a slot-coupled patch antenna) having a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system. Furthermore, each antenna cell may have an antenna port that can be connected to the corresponding radiating element. The antenna ports may be arranged at a specific coordinate set in the respective local coordinate system. In some examples, this specific coordinate set may be the same for the respective local coordinate system of each antenna cell. In other words, in some examples, the rotation angle of each antenna cell among the plurality of antenna cells in the global coordinate system does not change the position of the antenna port in the respective local coordinate system.

[0019] Each antenna port of the plurality of antenna cells can be connected to a beam forming network (BFN) by an integrated circuit (IC) chip, as described herein. By arranging each antenna port at the same coordinates in each local coordinate system, the design of the BFN can be simplified. Specifically, the positions of the antenna ports can be regular, and the BFN can be designed systematically, independent of the rotation angle of the radiating element of the antenna cell. In addition, rotation of the antenna elements can improve polarization purity. In other words, rotation of the antenna elements increases the ratio of the desired polarization component to undesired components.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of an antenna array 100 having a plurality of antenna cells 102. The antenna array 100 can be implemented as, for example, a phased array antenna. The antenna cells 102 can be arranged in a regular tiling pattern. The antenna array 100 can be formed on the topmost layer and / or a region of a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB), and the PCB can alternatively be referred to as a multilayer printed wire board (PWB). For simplicity of description, some layers are omitted and / or shown as transparent. In this example, there are twelve antenna cells 102, but in other examples, there can be more or fewer antenna cells 102. Indeed, in some examples, there can be 100, 1000 or more antenna cells 102. Each of the twelve antenna cells is labeled A through L. Therefore, a given antenna cell 102 can be identified and explicitly referenced. For example, a first antenna cell 102 can be referred to as "antenna cell A 102", and an eighth antenna cell can be referred to as "antenna cell H 102". Antenna cells B through L 102 can also be referenced in this manner.

[0021] In the illustrated example, each antenna cell 102 has a hexagonal shape. In other examples, other shapes including shapes such as square, rectangle, or rhombus that provide regular tiling can be used to implement the plurality of antenna cells 102.

[0022] The antenna array 100 includes a global coordinate system 104 that defines the global position of the entire antenna array 100. More specifically, the global coordinate system 104 specifies the relative position of each of the multiple antenna cells 102. Each antenna cell 102 may have a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104. In addition, each antenna cell 102 may include a radiating element 106 that has a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104. This predetermined rotation angle may be different from (or the same as) the rotation angle of the antenna cell 102 in the global coordinate system 104. In other words, the rotation angle of the radiating element 106 of a given antenna cell 102 in the global coordinate system 104 can be selected independently of the rotation angle of the antenna cell 102 in the global coordinate system 104.

[0023] Each of the multiple antenna cells 102 can have a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104. In addition, each antenna cell 102 can include a local coordinate system. In the example shown in Figure 1, the origin of each local coordinate system is located at a given vertex of the corresponding antenna cell 102. For example, the local coordinate system for antenna cell A102 is X A , Y A These are labeled as such, indicating the respective X and Y axes relative to the local coordinate system of antenna cell A102. Antenna cells B through H are labeled in a similar manner.

[0024] As described herein, each radiating element 106 includes a plurality of structural elements. Specifically, in the antenna array 100, each radiating element 106 may include N slot elements 110 and a metal patch radiator 114, where N is an integer of 1 or more. Each slot element 110 may have an "H" shape or a dumbbell shape. Furthermore, in the illustrated and described example, the radiating element 106 includes N slot elements 110 and a metal patch radiator 114, but other forms of radiators are also possible for the radiating element 106. In the illustrated example, there are two slot elements 110, which can be referred to individually by subscript numbers. More specifically, in the illustrated example, each radiating element includes a first slot element 1101 and a second slot element 1102 oriented orthogonally to each other. In other words, the first slot element 1101 can have a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104, and the second slot element 1102 can be rotated 90 degrees relative to the first slot element 1101. Therefore, collectively, the first slot element 1101 and the second slot antenna 1102 can have a predetermined rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104, and this predetermined rotation angle can define a predetermined rotation angle of the radiating element 106 relative to the antenna cell 102. In addition, in some examples, there may be more or fewer slot elements 110 than the first slot element 1101 and the second slot element 1102. The rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104 can be defined for a specific structural element or a set of elements of a given antenna cell 102. These elements are, but are not limited to, ports 118 (or multiple ports 118). Similarly, in such a situation, the rotation angle of another antenna cell 102 can be defined using the same specific structural element or set of elements in another antenna cell 102. In other words, the rotation angle in the global coordinate system 102 is defined in the same way across each A-L antenna cell 102.

[0025] In some examples, the rotation angle for each radiating element 106 in the global coordinate system 104 can be one of, for example, 0 degrees, + / -30 degrees, + / -90 degrees, and + / -150 degrees. In other examples, a different rotation angle may be used in the global coordinate system 104. Furthermore, the rotation angle pattern of the radiating elements 106 of the antenna cell 102 is variable based on the desired operating characteristics of the antenna array 100. For example, it may be desirable to select a predetermined pattern for the antenna elements 106, which provides high polarization purity in the main beam to scan in multiple directions and maintain the lateral lobes of the radiation pattern below a certain level.

[0026] The first slot element 1101 and the second slot element 1102 can be designed to communicate signals without substantially affecting the relative phase difference between the signal of the first slot element 1101 and the signal of the second slot element 1102. For example, each radiating element 106 of each antenna cell 102 can be designed to communicate a circularly polarized signal. For example, the first slot element 1101 of the radiating element 106 can be designed to communicate a signal by a first linear polarization, and the second slot element 1102 of the radiating element 106 can be designed to communicate a signal by a second polarization. As an example, the first polarization can be offset with respect to the second polarization. In addition, as described above, there are also embodiments in which there is only one slot element 110 for each radiating element 106, and / or a different type of radiator is employed for the radiating element 106. In these situations, the radiating element 106 can also be designed to communicate by circular polarization or by another polarization such as linear polarization or elliptic polarization.

[0027] Furthermore, as described above, the radiating element 106 of each antenna cell 102 may include a metal patch radiator 114 that can cover the first slot element 1101 and the second slot element 1102. The metal patch radiator 114 can cover the center of the antenna cell 102. In some examples, the metal patch radiator 114 can be formed on the upper surface of the antenna array 100. In such situations, the metal patch radiator 114 can be formed by etching away a portion of the (uppermost) thin metal layer, with the unetched portion forming the metal patch radiator 114.

[0028] For the sake of simplicity, the terms “overlay,” “overlaying,” “underlay,” and “underlaying” (and their derivatives) are used throughout this disclosure to describe the relative position of two adjacent surfaces in a selected orientation. In addition, the terms “top” and “bottom” are used throughout this disclosure to describe the opposite surface in a selected orientation. Similarly, the terms “top” and “bottom” are used to describe relative positions in a selected orientation. In practice, the examples used throughout this disclosure show one selected orientation. However, in the examples described, the selected orientation is arbitrary, and other orientations (e.g., upside down, rotated 90 degrees, etc.) are possible within the scope of this disclosure.

[0029] Each antenna cell 102 can include N ports 118. Each port 118 can electrically connect a beamforming network (BFN) to a corresponding slot element 110. Thus, in the illustrated example, each antenna cell 102 can include a first port 1181 and a second port 1182. Each antenna cell 102 can also include N feedlines (conductive traces) 122 formed in a feedline layer. This fieldline layer intersects with the corresponding port 118 in a specific set of coordinates in the corresponding local coordinate system. Furthermore, each feedline 122 can connect each slot element 110 to the corresponding port 118. More specifically, in the example shown in Figure 1, the first feedline 1221 (conductive trace) can connect the first port 1181 to the first slot element 1101. Similarly, the second feedline 1222 (conductive trace) can connect the second port 1182 to the second slot element 1102. Each feed line 122 within a given antenna cell 102 can have the same length. Therefore, the first feed line 1221 and the second feed line 1222 of antenna cell A102 can have the same length. In some examples, the feed lines 122 of each different antenna cell 102 can have the same length. Additional phase adjustment can be applied to the signals communicated by a particular antenna cell 102 (for example, by adjusting the subsequent or preceding signal, as described herein) to offset (cancel out) the effects of rotation within each antenna cell 102. For example, antenna cells A102 and D102 may have feed lines 122 of the same length, but the signals communicated by antenna cells A102 and D102 have different phases. These different phases can be offset using phase adjustment.

[0030] In some examples, each port 118 can be located near the outer perimeter (e.g., near the vertex) of the corresponding antenna cell 102. Thus, in the plan view shown in Figure 1, each port 118 is located between the corresponding radiating element 106 of the corresponding antenna cell 102 and its outer perimeter. In the example illustrated by the antenna array 100 in Figure 1, the first port 1181 and the second port 1182 are located near the vertex of the antenna cell 102. In addition, the first port 1181 and the second port 1182 are separated by a given (single) vertex that contains the origin of the local coordinate system. Thus, in some examples, each set of ports 118 for a given antenna cell 102 can be located in the same set of local coordinates. In other words, the first port 1181 for each antenna cell 102 can be located in the same set of local coordinates for each of the antenna cells A to H 102. Similarly, the second port 1182 for each antenna cell 102 can be located in the same set of local coordinates for each of antenna cells A through L. Alternatively, in other examples, the position of each of the N ports can vary in the local coordinates for each antenna cell 102.

[0031] Each of the N ports 118 within each antenna cell 102 can be formed as a via (also called a plated through-hole) extending through one or more layers to the IC chip and / or BFN, depending on the design of the BFN. Thus, each of the illustrated ports 118 of each antenna cell 102 (including the first port 1181 and the second port 1182) can represent a via terminal. In some examples, each port 118 can be considered a long transition section running through the entire multilayer PCB that can form the antenna array 100. Additionally or alternatively, the N ports 118 can be another form of interface for signal communication between the BFN and each antenna cell 102. Electromagnetic coupling can be reduced by positioning each port 118 near the outer periphery of the antenna cell 102 and away from the radiating element 106 of the antenna cell 102 (which is located near the center). In some examples, each port 118 (or a subset thereof) is surrounded by multiple isolation vias 130 positioned equidistant to the corresponding port 118, and these multiple isolation vias 130 can be alternatively referred to as shielding vias. In other examples, the multiple isolation vias 130 can be positioned at different distances to the corresponding port 118. The isolation vias 130 can mimic coaxial shielding for the port 118. For the sake of simplicity in illustration, only a portion of the isolation vias 130 are labeled. The isolation vias 130 can extend fully or partially between multiple antenna cells 102 and BFNs of the antenna array 100. The antenna array 100 can be designed such that each port 118 is adjacent to five isolation vias 130.

[0032] As shown in the figure, each port 118 of a given antenna cell 102 can be positioned near the other two ports 118 of two other antenna cells 102. In addition, each of the isolation vias 130 can be positioned near the vertices and / or on the outer periphery of the antenna cell 102. In this way, the same isolation via 130 can provide shielding for multiple ports 118. For example, an isolation via 130 located at a common vertex of antenna cells B, D, and E 102 can simultaneously provide shielding for the first port 118 of antenna cells B, D, and E 102. Therefore, by rotating each antenna cell 102 in the global coordinate system 104 in the manner shown in the figure, the total number of isolation vias 130 required to provide shielding on the five sides of each port 118 can be reduced.

[0033] As described above, each antenna cell 102 can have a rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104. In some examples, a given antenna cell 102 can be rotated relative to another antenna cell 102. For example, antenna cell B102 can be rotated 120 degrees relative to antenna cell A102 in the global coordinate system 104.

[0034] In addition, while each antenna cell 102's radiating element 106 has a rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system 104, each radiating element 106 may also have a local rotation angle defined in its corresponding local coordinate system. In such a situation, the local rotation angle of a given antenna cell 102's radiating element 106 can be offset from the local rotation angle of another antenna cell 102's radiating element 106. For example, the local rotation angle of antenna cell B102's radiating element 106 in its local coordinate system can be offset by 120 degrees from the local rotation angle of antenna cell A102's radiating element 106 in its local coordinate system.

[0035] Furthermore, in a given example, a given antenna cell 102 may have a different rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104 than the rotation angle of another antenna cell 102 in the global coordinate system 104. In addition, in a given example, the radiating elements 106 of a given antenna cell 102 and other antenna cells 102 may have the same rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104. For example, antenna cells D102 and G102 may have different rotation angles in the global coordinate system 104. However, the radiating elements 106 of antenna cells D102 and G102 may have the same rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104 because the radiating elements 106 of antenna cells D102 and G102 may have different rotation angles in their respective local coordinate systems. As discussed herein, the phase of the signal communicated by the radiating elements 106 of the antenna cells can be adjusted to account for the different rotation angles of antenna cells 102 in the global coordinate system 104.

[0036] In some examples, each antenna cell 102 can be a member of a group of antenna cells 102. In some examples, a given group of antenna cells 102 can share an intersection point (for example, a common vertex in an example where the antenna cells 102 are polygons). Thus, in the example shown in Figure 1, the first group of antenna cells can be formed by antenna cells A, B, and C 102. In addition, the second group of antenna cells 102 can be formed by antenna cells D, F, and G 102. The antenna array 100 can be designed such that the rotation angle of each radiating element 106 in a given group of antenna cells 102 defines a group rotation pattern. As used herein, the term “group rotation pattern” means the unique set of rotations of the radiating element 106 for each member of the group. For example, if the radiating element 106 of antenna cell A102 has a rotation angle of 0 degrees, antenna cell B102 has a rotation angle of 30 degrees, and antenna cell C102 has a rotation angle of -30 degrees, and the combination set of 0 degrees, 30 degrees, and -30 degrees in the relative positions of cells A, B, and C102 defines the group rotation pattern. In some examples, the antenna array 100 can be designed so that adjacent groups of antenna cells have different group rotation patterns. In addition, in some examples, it may be desirable to avoid repeating the same rotation angle of the radiating element 106 for groups of antenna cells 102 throughout the antenna array 100. This is to avoid an increase in side lobes for the overall radiation pattern of the antenna array 100.

[0037] During operation, the antenna array 100 can communicate signals between free space and the BFN. Specifically, in receiving mode, electromagnetic (EM) signals transmitted in free space can be supplied to N slot elements 110 by the corresponding metal patch radiators 114. The N slot elements 110 of the corresponding antenna cell 102 can convert the radiated electromagnetic (EM) signals into induced electromagnetic (EM) signals. Each of the N feed lines 122 can supply an electrical signal to the corresponding port 118. Each port 118 can supply an electrical signal to an IC chip connected to the BFN. In some examples, the IC chip can be an integrated component of the BFN. In other examples, the IC chip and the BFN can be separate but coupled components. The IC chip can adjust (e.g., combine, amplify, and / or phase adjust) the electrical signals and supply the adjusted electrical signals to the BFN. The BFN can combine the adjusted electrical signals to form a received beam signal and supply the received beam signal to an external system for further processing and / or decoding.

[0038] In transmit mode, an electrical signal can be supplied from the BFN to the IC chip. The IC chip can adjust the signal and supply the adjusted signal to N ports 118 in each of the antenna cells 102. The electrical signal can be supplied to the corresponding slot elements 110 of the antenna cells 102. The slot elements 110 can convert the induced EM signal into a radiated EM signal that is transmitted to the corresponding metal patch radiator 114 of each antenna cell 102. The radiating elements 114 can transmit the EM signal into free space.

[0039] In some examples, the antenna array 100 can be designed to operate exclusively in either receive mode or transmit mode. In other examples, the antenna array 100 can operate in half-duplex mode so that it can operate periodically and / or asynchronously in receive mode and transmit mode. In yet another example, the antenna array 100 can operate in full-duplex mode so that it can operate simultaneously in receive mode and transmit mode.

[0040] By implementing the antenna array 100, the radiating elements 106 of each antenna cell 102 can be selected to have a rotation angle in the global coordinate system 104 that is independent of the positions of the N ports 118 in each antenna cell 102. In other words, the N slot elements 110 for each antenna cell 102 (i.e., the first slot element 1101 and the second slot element 1102) can rotate in the global coordinate system 104 even if the positions of the corresponding N ports 118, i.e., the first port 1181 and the second port 1182, do not change. Rather, each antenna cell 102 can be designed so that the position of the port 118 changes based on the rotation angle of the entire individual antenna cell 102, and the rotation angle of the slot elements 110 can change independently of the rotation angle of the antenna cell 102. Therefore, the antenna array 100 can be designed so that the positions of the port 118 occur at regular predetermined positions in the global coordinate system 104. Thus, as described herein, a beamforming network (BFN) underlaying the antenna array 100 can be designed independently of the antenna array 100. In fact, as will be described in detail, a BFN underlaying the antenna array 100 can have a systematic design.

[0041] Figure 2 shows a plan view of an example of a BFN 200 that can be used to adjust the signals communicated by the antenna array 100 in Figure 1. The BFN 200 can be formed in an inner layer (e.g., a BFN layer) of the multilayer PCB used in the antenna array 100. The BFN layer can contain multiple traces (conductive traces). For the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals are used in Figures 1 and 2 to indicate the same structure. The BFN 200 can be divided into multiple BFN cells 202, each rotated in the global coordinate system 104. As described above, the BFN 200 can be underlaid on the antenna array 100 in Figure 1. Furthermore, each BFN cell 202 can have the same size and shape (e.g., hexagon) as the antenna cell 102 to be overlaid. Thus, the BFN cells 202 are labeled A to L to correspond to the antenna cell 202 to be overlaid. Thus, BFN cell A202 can be underlaid on antenna cell A202. Each BFN cell 202 can have the same local coordinate system as its corresponding antenna cell 102. Therefore, BFN cell A202 can have the same local coordinate system as antenna cell A202.

[0042] Each BFN cell 202 can contain N ports 118. In the example illustrated by BFN200, each BFN cell 202 contains a first port 1181 and a second port 1182. Each port 118 can represent a terminal of a via to a port illustrated in antenna array 100. For example, the first port 1181 of BFN cell A202 can represent the terminal of a via corresponding to the first port 1181 of antenna cell A102. Each of the N ports 118 can be located in the same set of coordinates in their respective local coordinate systems. Each of the N ports 118 can extend away from BFN200 toward antenna array 100. As described with respect to antenna array 100, each of the N ports 118 can be located in the same set of coordinates in their respective local coordinate systems.

[0043] Each of the N ports 118 can be surrounded by multiple isolation vias 130, some of which are labeled. The isolation vias 130 can correspond to the isolation vias 130 in Figure 1. In the illustrated example, there are five isolation vias adjacent to each port 118. However, in other examples, there may be more or fewer isolation vias 130. Furthermore, the isolation vias 130 can be shared between ports 118 of different BFN cells 202, thereby reducing the total number of isolation vias 130 required to provide sufficient shielding for the ports 118. In addition, in some examples, some of the isolation vias 130 can only partially extend between the BFN 200 and the antenna array 100 in Figure 1.

[0044] The BFN200 may include an input / output (I / O) port 206 that can be connected to an external system or another BFN of an additional antenna cell in the manner described herein. The I / O port 206 may be connected to a first-stage combiner / divider 208, which may be connected to two second-stage combiners / dividers 210. In this way, the first-stage combiner / divider 208 and the second-stage combiners / dividers 210 have a cascaded (hierarchical) relationship. In other words, the first-stage combiner / divider 208 can operate as the first stage of the BFN200, and the second-stage beamforming stage combiner / divider 210 can operate as the second beamforming stage of the BFN200. Each of the second-stage combiners / dividers 210 may be connected to two 1-3 combiners / dividers 212 that can operate as a third beamforming stage of the BFN200. Each 1-3 combiner / divider 212 can be placed at the intersection of the three BFN cells 202.

[0045] The second stage combiner / divider 210 can be arranged symmetrically with respect to the first stage combiner / divider 208. The second stage combiner / divider 210 can be fabricated in different layers of the BFN 200, different from the BFN cell 202. For the purpose of simplifying the illustration, different line density and / or patterns are used to indicate different layers of the BFN. The set of BFN cells 202, the 1-3 combiner / divider 212, and the second stage divider 210 can define a beamforming stage having a single local coordinate system. In this way, each beamforming stage (a combination of the BFN cell 202, the 1-3 combiner / divider 212, and the second stage divider 210) can have the same geometric shape in the local coordinate system. Furthermore, the beamforming stage can be rotated in the global coordinate system 104, facilitating the systematic design of the BFN 200. Furthermore, the systematic properties of beamforming stages in the BFN200 having the same geometric shape can also be present in additional stages across subarrays, as shown in Figure 3. In other words, in Figure 3, the geometric shapes of the three first beamforming stages are the same as the geometric shapes of the other instances of the three first beamforming stages in the array. Taking this a step further, in some examples, the geometric shapes of four first stages can be the same as the geometric shapes of the other four first stages in the array. Thus, each instance of a beamforming stage has the same geometric shape as another instance of a beamforming stage in the same stage. In other words, a given beamforming stage in the BFN200 has the same geometric shape as another beamforming stage in the BFN200 if this given beamforming stage and another beamforming stage are in the same stage (for example, if both the given stage and the other stage are first stages, second stages, etc.).

[0046] As used herein, the concept of each beamforming stage having the same geometric shape means that the beamforming stage has a shape involving mirroring and / or rotation in the global coordinate system, as shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, two beamforming stages can also be considered to have the same geometric shape if they are symmetric with respect to one or more lines of symmetry. Moreover, two beamforming stages are considered to have the same geometric shape if they are substantially identical without mirroring and / or rotation.

[0047] Each BFN cell 202 can be connected to an integrated circuit (IC) chip 220 (or more IC chips) and / or other circuitry capable of adjusting signals. The IC chip 220 can be mounted at the bottom of the multilayer PCB on which the BFN is mounted. Thus, each IC chip 220 can be underlayed on the BFN 200. Each IC chip 220 can be connected to a 1-3 combiner / divider 212 and the N ports 118 of the BFN cell 202. As an example, the first port 1181 and the second port 1182 of BFN cell A102 can be connected to the IC chip 220 of BFN cell A202, and this IC chip 220 can be connected to a 1-3 combiner / divider 212 located between BFN cell A202, BFN cell B202, and BFN cell C202. Each IC chip 220 can adjust electrical signals. Such adjustments may include amplifying, phase-shifting, combining, and / or splitting signals. In some examples, the IC chip 220 of three different BFN cells 202, such as BFN cells A, B, and C202, can adjust the signals communicated with the corresponding 1-3 combiner 212 by a magnitude that compensates for the rotation of radiating elements, such as radiating element 106 in Figure 1.

[0048] The combiners / dividers described herein can perform one or both of the following operations: a division operation and / or a combination operation, which convert an input / output signal into multiple sub-signals. In the examples described herein, each division operation performed can divide the input signal into multiple sub-signals having equal power and phase arrangement. Conversely, in the examples described herein, the combination operation can combine multiple sub-signals having phase arrangement into a single combined signal.

[0049] In transmit mode, the first stage combiner / divider 208 can be designed to divide the signal input to the I / O port 206 into sub-signals (e.g., evenly or unevenly, in phase or out of phase) that are supplied to the second stage combiner / divider 210. Similarly, in transmit mode, each second stage combiner / divider 210 can divide the signal received from the first stage combiner / divider 208 into two sub-signals (e.g., evenly or unevenly, in phase or out of phase) that are coupled to the 1-3 combiner / divider 212. Each 1-3 combiner / divider can divide the signal into three sub-signals (e.g., evenly or unevenly, in phase or out of phase) that are supplied to the IC chip 220 corresponding to three different BFN cells 202. For example, a 1-3 combiner / divider 212 located at the intersection of BFN cells A, B, and C202 can supply signals to the IC chips 220 of BFN cells A, B, and C202.

[0050] If the transmission mode is to be continued, the IC chip 220 of each BFN cell 202 can be designed / programmed to adjust (amplify, phase-adjust, and / or split) the signal into N signals supplied to N ports 118. For example, the IC chip 220 of BFN cell 202 can be designed to amplify and split the signal from the 1-3 combiner / divider 212 into two sub-signals supplied to the first port 1181 and the second port 1182 of BFN cell A202. The signals can then be transmitted in the manner described with respect to Figure 1.

[0051] In receive mode, the signals received at each of the N ports 118 of the BFN cell 202 can be combined and adjusted (amplified and / or phase-adjusted) by the corresponding IC chip 220 and supplied to the corresponding 1-3 combiner / divider 212. For example, the IC chips 220 corresponding to BFN cells A, B, and C202 can each supply adjusted signals to the 1-3 combiner / divider 212 at the intersections of BFN cells A, B, and C202.

[0052] If the receiving mode is maintained, each of the 1-3 combiners / dividers 212 can combine the adjustment sub-signals and supply the combined signal to the corresponding second stage combiner / divider 210. The second stage combiner / divider 212 can then combine the sub-signals again and supply the combined signal to the first stage combiner / divider 208. The first stage combiner / divider 208 can combine the sub-signals and output the combined signal at I / O port 206.

[0053] Similar to the antenna array 100 in Figure 1, the BFN200 can be designed to operate exclusively in either transmit mode or receive mode. In addition, the BFN200 can be designed to switch between transmit mode and receive mode periodically and / or asynchronously. Furthermore, in some examples, the BFN200 can operate simultaneously in transmit mode and receive mode.

[0054] As shown in the antenna array 100 in Figure 1 and the BFN200 in Figure 2, antenna cells 102 and BFN cells 202 can communicate via N ports 118. Furthermore, the antenna array 100 can be designed so that the radiating elements 106 can rotate independently of the position of the ports 118. Thus, the rotation angle of the radiating elements 106 does not necessarily affect the physical layout of the BFN200. Consequently, the BFN200 and the antenna array 100 can be designed independently based on the respective predetermined positions of the N ports 118 for each BFN cell 202 and each antenna cell 102. Thus, the overall design of the BFN200 and the antenna array 100 can be simplified. In fact, the systematic design of the BFN200 further demonstrates the potential of BFN when the BFN200 is aligned with the antenna array 100 (or a variation thereof) in Figure 1. Specifically, the BFN designers are not troubled by concerns regarding the individual positioning of the ports 118. Instead, the ports 118 will be placed in regular and predictable locations, and these locations will be easily adapted by the various forms of antenna cells 102 of the antenna array 100.

[0055] In some examples, the BFN200 can be designed as a scalable and systematically symmetric module to adapt to nearly any number of levels of hierarchy. Specifically, the BFN200 is described as a two-stage combiner / divider, namely a first-stage combiner / divider 208 and a second-stage combiner / divider 208, but the illustrated BFN200 can be used as a module or circuit to implement larger-scale BFNs, including the BFN300 shown in Figure 3.

[0056] In the BFN300, the four instances of the BFN200 in Figure 2 are connected in a cascaded (hierarchical) array. Specifically, I / O port 302 can be connected to the combiner / divider 304 of the first stage, which in turn connects to the two combiners / dividers 306 of the second stage. Each combiner / divider 306 of the second stage can be connected to port 206 of the instance of the BFN200 (a module of the BFN300). In this way, the four instances of the BFN200 are connected together in a cascaded array. Furthermore, in other examples, multiple instances of the BFN300 can be connected in another cascaded array, thus providing a systematic design for the BFN300. Moreover, in some examples, multiple BFN300s can be included in a BFN array such as the BFN array 320 shown in Figure 4.

[0057] In the BFN array 320, three instances of the BFN300 shown in Figure 3 are arranged in an array. Furthermore, although the instances of the BFN300 are not combined in Figure 4, in other examples of the BFN array 320, each instance or a subset of some of the BFN300 can be combined to provide a different cascaded (hierarchical) array.

[0058] Figure 5 shows another plan view of an example of an antenna array 400. The antenna array 400 can be formed on the top layer and / or region of a multilayer PCB. The antenna array 400 can include a plurality of antenna cells 402 arranged in a tile pattern. Each antenna cell 402 can have a square shape. The example illustrated by the antenna array 400 includes eight antenna cells 402 labeled as antenna cells A to H. Each of the plurality of antenna cells 402 can be arranged in a global coordinate system 404. Furthermore, each antenna cell 402 can include an instance of a radiating element 406. Each radiating element 406 can include N slot elements 408. In the illustrated example, each antenna cell 402 includes two orthogonally arranged slot elements 408, namely a first slot element 4081 and a second slot element 4082. Each radiating element 406 can also include a metal patch radiator 410.

[0059] Each of the N slot elements 408 can be rotated in the global coordinate system 404. In addition, each antenna cell 402 may include a local coordinate system labeled by an origin axis located near the corner of each antenna cell 402. Each antenna cell 402 may include N ports 414 that connect each antenna cell 402 to a beamforming network (BFN) that underlays the antenna array 400. Each port 414 may include a via for connecting each antenna cell 402 to the BFN. Furthermore, each port 414 in Figure 5 may represent a via terminal. In the illustrated example, each antenna cell includes two ports 414, namely a first port 4141 and a second port 4142. In addition, in the illustrated example, each of the first port 4141 and the second port 4142 may be located at an adjacent corner of the antenna cell 402. As used herein, “adjacent corners” are defined as two corners that share sides of a polygon. Each antenna cell 402 may contain N feedlines 416 formed in the feedline layer of the antenna array 400. In the illustrated example, there are two feedlines, namely a first feedline 4161 and a second feedline 4162. Each feedline 416 can connect a port 414 to the corresponding slot element 408. Each of the N feedlines 416 of the antenna array 400 has the same length. The signals transmitted by the radiating element 406 can be phase-shifted to compensate for (cancel out) the rotation of the radiating element 406.

[0060] Each of the ports 414 can be surrounded by multiple isolation vias 415 positioned equidistant from the corresponding port 414. In the illustrated example, there are four isolation vias 415 adjacent to each port 414. However, in other examples, there may be more or fewer isolation vias 415. Furthermore, isolation vias 415 can be shared between ports 414 of different antenna cells 402, thereby reducing the total number of isolation vias 415 required to provide sufficient shielding for the ports 414. In addition, in some examples, some of the isolation vias 415 can only partially extend between the BFN and the antenna array 400.

[0061] Each of the N ports 414 of each antenna cell 402 can be positioned in a coordinate set in its corresponding local coordinate system, and this coordinate set can be the same in each local coordinate system. In such an example, the ports 414 can intersect the feedline layer, which includes the feedline 416, at the position of the coordinate set in the local coordinate system of each antenna cell 402. In other words, the first port 4141 of antenna cell A402 can have the same coordinate set in its corresponding local coordinate system as the first port 4141 of antenna cell B402. In this way, the ports 414 can be positioned in regular predetermined locations throughout the antenna array 400.

[0062] In some examples, the rotation angle of each radiating element 406 in the global coordinate system 404 can be 0 degrees, + / -90 degrees, + / -180 degrees, and + / -270 degrees. In other examples, other rotation angles in the global coordinate system 104 are also possible. In addition, the antenna array 400 can operate in the same way as (or in a similar manner to) the antenna array 100 in Figure 1. Thus, each antenna cell 402 of the antenna array 400 can be designed to communicate RF signals in free space. In other words, the antenna array 400 can be designed to transmit RF signals into free space and to receive RF signals from free space. Such communication signals can be tuned by BFNs and (in some examples) IC chips, as described herein.

[0063] Figure 6 shows a plan view of an example of a beamforming network (BFN) 500 that can be used to communicate with the antenna array 400 of Figure 5. Some elements of the BFN 500 can be formed in the inner layers of the multilayer PCB used for the antenna array 400, while other elements can be formed in the outer layers of the BFN 500, such as the bottom layer of the BFN 500. For the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals are used in Figures 5 and 6 to indicate the same structure. The BFN 500 can be divided into a plurality of BFN cells 502, each rotated in a global coordinate system 404. As described above, the BFN 500 can be underlaid on the antenna array 400 of Figure 5. Furthermore, each BFN cell 502 can have the same size and shape (e.g., square) as the overlaid antenna cell 402. Thus, the BFN cells 502 are labeled A to H to correspond to the overlaid antenna cell 402 having the same labels A to H. Therefore, BFN cell A502 can be underlaid on antenna cell A402. Each BFN cell 502 can have the same local coordinate system as its corresponding antenna cell 402.

[0064] Each BFN cell 502 can contain N ports 414. In the example illustrated by BFN 500, each BFN cell 502 contains a first port 4141 and a second port 4142. Each port 414 can represent a terminal of a via to a port 414 illustrated in the antenna array 400. As described with respect to the antenna array 400, each of the N ports 414 can be located in the same set of coordinates in their respective local coordinate systems.

[0065] Each of the N ports 414 can be surrounded by multiple isolation vias 415, some of which are labeled. The isolation vias 415 can correspond to the isolation vias 415 in Figure 5. In some examples, some of the isolation vias 415 can extend only partially between the BFN 500 and the antenna array 400 in Figure 5.

[0066] The BFN500 may include an I / O port 506 that can be connected to an external system. The I / O port 506 can be connected to a first-stage combiner / divider 508, which can be connected to two second-stage combiners / dividers 510 via a via 512. In some examples, the via 512 can be shorter than the via on port 414. In addition, the first-stage combiner / divider 508 and the second-stage combiner / divider 510 have a cascaded arrangement.

[0067] The second stage combiner / divider 510 can be arranged symmetrically with respect to the first stage 508. Furthermore, in this configuration, the BFN cell 502 and the second stage combiner / divider 510 can define beamforming stages having a local coordinate system. In this way, each beamforming stage (combination of the BFN cell 502 and the second stage divider 510) can have the same geometric shape in the local coordinate system. Furthermore, each beamforming stage can be rotated in the global coordinate system 404.

[0068] Each BFN cell 502 can correspond to an IC chip 520 (or more IC chips) capable of adjusting signals. Each IC chip 520 can be located at the bottom layer of the BFN 500. In some examples, each IC chip 520 can be integrated with the BFN 500, while in other examples, each IC chip 520 can be a separate component communicating with the BFN 500. Each IC chip 520 can be connected to a combiner / divider 510 and N ports 414 of the BFN cell 502. In some examples, each IC chip 520 can amplify, phase-shift, combine, and / or divide signals.

[0069] The BFN500 can operate in the same manner as the BFN200 shown in Figure 2. Therefore, the BFN500 can operate in at least one of the transmit mode and receive mode.

[0070] As shown in the antenna array 400 in Figure 5 and the BFN 500 in Figure 6, the antenna cells 402 and BFN cells 502 can communicate via N ports 414. Furthermore, the antenna array 400 can be designed so that the slot elements 408 can rotate independently of the position of the ports 414. Therefore, the rotation angle of the slot elements 408 does not necessarily affect the physical layout of the BFN 500. Thus, the BFN 500 and the antenna array 400 can be designed independently based on the respective predetermined positions of the N ports 414 for each BFN cell 502 and each antenna cell 402. Therefore, the overall design of the BFN 500 and the antenna array 400 can be simplified.

[0071] In some examples, the BFN500 can be systematically designed with scalable symmetric modules to accommodate nearly any number of levels. In particular, the BFN500 is described using two-stage combiners / dividers, namely the first-stage combiner / divider 508 and the second-stage combiner / divider 510, but the illustrated BFN500 can be used as a module or circuit to implement larger-scale BFNs, including the BFN600 shown in Figure 7.

[0072] In the BFN600, the eight instances of the BFN500 shown in Figure 6 are connected in a cascaded (hierarchical) array. Specifically, I / O port 602 is connected to the first stage combiner / divider 604, which is connected to the two combiners / dividers 606 of the second stage. Each second stage combiner / divider 606 can be connected to the two third stage combiners / dividers 608. Each third stage combiner / divider 608 can be connected to two instances of input port 506 of the BFN500 (BFN600 module) instance. In this way, the eight instances of the BFN600 are connected together in a cascaded array. Furthermore, in other examples, multiple instances of the BFN600 can be connected in a cascaded array.

[0073] Figure 8 shows another plan view of an example of an antenna array 700. The antenna array 700 can be formed on the top layer and / or region of a multilayer PCB. The antenna array 700 can include a plurality of antenna cells 702 which can be arranged in a regular tiling pattern. Each antenna cell 702 may have a square shape. The example illustrated by the antenna array 700 includes eight antenna cells 702 labeled as antenna cells A to H. Each of the plurality of antenna cells 702 can be arranged in a global coordinate system 704. Furthermore, each antenna cell 702 can include an instance of a radiating element 706. Each radiating element 706 can include N slot elements 708. In the illustrated example, each antenna cell 702 includes two orthogonally arranged slot elements 708, namely a first slot element 7081 and a second slot element 7082. Each radiating element 706 can also include a metal patch radiator 710.

[0074] Each of the N slot elements 708 can be rotated in the global coordinate system 704. In addition, each antenna cell 702 may include a local coordinate system labeled by an origin axis located near the corner of each antenna cell 702. Each antenna cell 702 may include N ports 714 connecting each antenna cell 702 to the BFN of the underlay of the antenna array 700. In the illustrated example, each antenna cell includes two ports 714, namely a first port 7141 and a second port 7142. In addition, in the illustrated example, each of the first port 7141 and the second port 7142 may be located at opposite corners of the antenna cell 702. In other words, the first port 7141 and the second port 7142 are located diagonally opposite each other. Each port 714 may be surrounded by a number of isolation vias 715 equidistant from the corresponding port 714, some of which are labeled. In the illustrated example, there are four isolation vias 715 adjacent to each port 714. However, in other examples, there may be more or fewer isolation vias 715. Furthermore, isolation vias 715 can be shared between ports 714 of different antenna cells 702, thereby reducing the total number of isolation vias 715 required to provide sufficient shielding to port 714. In addition, in some examples, some of the isolation vias 715 may only partially extend between the BFN and the antenna array 700.

[0075] Each antenna cell 702 may contain N feedlines 716 formed in the feedline layer. In the illustrated example, each antenna cell 702 has two feedlines 716, namely a first feedline 7161 and a second feedline 7162. Each feedline 716 can connect a port 714 to a corresponding slot element 708. In some examples, the first feedline 7161 and the second feedline 7162 of a given antenna cell 702 may have the same length.

[0076] Each of the N ports 714 of each antenna cell 702 can be positioned in a coordinate set in its corresponding local coordinate system, and this coordinate set can be the same in each local coordinate system. Therefore, in some examples, the N ports 714 of each antenna cell 702 can intersect the feedline layer in the same coordinate set in their corresponding local coordinate systems. Thus, the first port 7141 of antenna cell A702 can have the same coordinate set as the first port 7141 of antenna cell B702 in its corresponding local coordinate system. In this way, the ports 714 are positioned in regular locations throughout the antenna array 700.

[0077] In some examples, the rotation angle of each radiating element 706 in the global coordinate system 704 can be 0 degrees, + / -90 degrees, + / -180 degrees, and + / -270 degrees. In other examples, different rotation angles are possible in the global coordinate system 704. The antenna array 700 can operate in the same way as (or in a similar manner to) the antenna array 100 in Figure 1. Thus, each antenna cell 702 of the antenna array 700 can be designed to communicate RF signals in free space. In other words, the antenna array 700 can be designed to do at least one of the following: transmit RF signals into free space and receive RF signals from free space. Such communication signals can be regulated by a beamforming network (BFN) and (in some examples) an IC chip, as described herein.

[0078] Figure 9 shows another plan view of an example of a BFN800 that can be used to communicate with the antenna array 700 of Figure 8. Some components of the BFN800 can be formed in the inner layers of the multilayer PCB used for the antenna array 700. Furthermore, as described herein, some components of the BFN800 can be formed or attached to the outer layers (e.g., the bottom layer) of the BFN800. For the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals are used in Figures 8 and 9 to indicate the same structure. The BFN800 can be divided into a plurality of BFN cells 802, each rotated in the global coordinate system 704. As described above, the BFN800 can be underlaid on the antenna array 700 of Figure 8. Furthermore, each BFN cell 802 can have the same size and shape (e.g., square) as the antenna cell 702 that it overlays. Thus, the BFN cells 802 are labeled A to H to correspond to the antenna cell 702 that they overlay. Therefore, BFN cell A802 underlays antenna cell A702. Each BFN cell 802 can have the same local coordinate system as its corresponding antenna cell 702.

[0079] Each BFN cell 802 can contain N ports 714. In the example illustrated by BFN800, each BFN cell contains a first port 7141 and a second port 7142. Each port 714 can represent a via terminal to a port illustrated in the antenna array 700. Each of the N ports 714 can be located in the same set of coordinates in their respective local coordinate systems. As described with respect to the antenna array 700, each of the N ports 714 can be located in the same set of coordinates in their respective local coordinate systems.

[0080] Each of the N ports 714 can be surrounded by multiple isolation vias 715, some of which are labeled. The isolation vias 715 can correspond to the isolation vias 715 in Figure 8. In addition, in some examples, some of the isolation vias 715 can extend only partially between the BFN 800 and the antenna array 700 in Figure 8.

[0081] The BFN800 may include an I / O port 806 that can be connected to an external system. The I / O port 806 can be connected to a first-stage combiner / divider 808, which can be connected to two second-stage combiners / dividers 810 via a via 812. In some examples, the via 812 can be shorter than the via on port 714. The first-stage combiner / divider 808 and the second-stage combiners / dividers 810 may have a cascaded arrangement.

[0082] Each BFN cell 802 can correspond to an IC chip 820 (or more IC chips) capable of adjusting signals. Each IC chip 820 can be located at the bottom layer of the BFN 800. In some examples, each IC chip 820 can be integrated with the BFN 800, while in other examples, each IC chip 820 can be a separate component communicating with the BFN 800. Each IC chip 820 can be connected to a second stage combiner / divider 810 and N ports 714 of the BFN cell 802. Each IC chip 820 can amplify, phase-shift, combine, and / or divide signals.

[0083] The second stage combiner / divider 810 can be arranged symmetrically with respect to the first stage 808. Furthermore, in this configuration, the BFN cell 802 and the second stage combiner / divider 810 can define beamforming stages having a local coordinate system. In this way, each beamforming stage (combination of the BFN cell 802 and the second stage combiner / divider 810) can have the same geometric shape in the local coordinate system. Furthermore, each beamforming stage can be rotated in the global coordinate system 704.

[0084] The BFN800 can operate in the same manner as the BFN200 shown in Figure 2. Therefore, the BFN800 can operate in at least one of the transmit mode and receive mode.

[0085] As shown by the antenna array 700 in Figure 8 and the BFN800 in Figure 9, the antenna cells 702 and BFN cells 802 can communicate via N ports 714. Furthermore, the antenna array 700 can be designed so that the slot elements 708 can rotate independently of the position of the ports 714. Therefore, the rotation angle of the slot elements 708 does not necessarily affect the physical layout of the BFN800. Thus, the BFN800 and the antenna array 700 can be designed independently based on the respective predetermined positions of each BFN cell 802 and each antenna cell 702 for the N ports 714. Therefore, the overall design of the BFN800 and the antenna array 700 can be simplified.

[0086] In some examples, the BFN800 can be systematically designed with scalable symmetric modules to adapt to almost any number of levels. Specifically, the BFN800 is described using two-stage combiners / dividers, namely the first-stage combiner / divider 808 and the second-stage combiner / divider 810, but the illustrated BFN800 can be used as a module or circuit to implement larger-scale BFNs, including the BFN900 shown in Figure 10.

[0087] In the BFN900, the eight instances of the BFN800 shown in Figure 9 are connected in a cascaded (hierarchical) array. Specifically, I / O port 902 is connected to the first stage combiner / divider 904, which can be connected to the two second stage combiners / dividers 906, respectively. Each second stage combiner / divider 906 can be connected to the two third stage combiners / dividers 908. Each third stage combiner / divider 908 can be connected to two instances of input port 806 of the BFN800 (BFN900 module) instance. In this way, the eight instances of the BFN900 are connected together in a cascaded array. Furthermore, in other examples, multiple instances of the BFN900 can be connected in a cascaded array.

[0088] Figure 11 shows a stack-up (cross-sectional) view of the multilayer PCB 1000 (or another dielectric substrate). This multilayer PCB may include an antenna array 1002 overlaid on a BFN 1004 formed on the BFN layer. The multilayer PCB 1000 can be used to realize a system capable of transmitting and receiving at least one of RF signals. The antenna array 1002 can be implemented, for example, by the antenna array 100 in Figure 1, the antenna array 400 in Figure 5, and / or the antenna array 700 in Figure 8. The BFN 1004 formed on the BFN layer may have multiple traces (e.g., conductive traces). BFN1004 can be implemented, for example, as BFN200 in Figure 2, BFN300 in Figure 3, a portion of BFN array 320 in Figure 4, BFN500 in Figure 6, BFN600 in Figure 7, BFN800 in Figure 9, or BFN900 in Figure 10. Figure 11 includes a portion of multilayer PCB 1000. Multilayer PCB 1000 may include a core material (e.g., dielectric laminate) layer 1008, a prepreg material (pre-impregnated material such as epoxy-based material) layer 1010, and a conductive material (e.g., ground plane) layer 1012.

[0089] The IC chip region 1014 may include a layer for mounting the IC chip 1016 to the underside of the BFN 1004. The IC chip 1016 can be implemented as, for example, an instance of the IC chip 220 in Figure 2, the IC chip 520 in Figure 6, or the IC chip 820 in Figure 9. The multilayer PCB 1000 may include a port 1018, which is implemented as a via that connects the IC chip 1016 to the antenna array 1002 in a communicative manner. The multilayer PCB 1000 may also include an isolation via 1020 that provides shielding for the port 1018. The IC chip region 1014 can communicate with the BFN 1004 via a via 1022. This via communicates with the IC chip 1016 a combiner / divider that can be formed in the bottom (outer) layer of the BFN 1004. The combiner / divider can be implemented, for example, as the combiner / divider 212 in Figure 2-1, the second stage combiner / divider 510 in Figure 6, or the second stage combiner / divider 810 in Figure 9. In addition, the IC chip 1016 can be connected to a power supply via via 1026, which can connect to the DC power supply area 1028 of the multilayer PCB 1000. Furthermore, the IC chip 1016 can be connected to an electrically neutral node (e.g., ground) via via 1030.

[0090] The feeder layer 1032 of the antenna array 100 can be underlaid on the radiating element 1034 of the antenna array 1002. The feeder layer 1032 can include instances of feedline 1036. The feedline 1036 can connect port 1018 to slot element 1038 of radiating element 1034. Slot element 1038 can be electromagnetically coupled to patch antenna 1039 of radiating element 1034.

[0091] Figure 11 includes arrows representing the signal 1040 flowing through the multilayer PCB 1000 operating in transmit mode. The signal 1040 can be supplied, for example, as an electrical signal (induced EM signal) from an external system. The signal 1040 crosses the combiner / divider 1024 and is supplied to the IC chip 1016 via via 1022. The IC chip 1016 can adjust the signal 1040 (e.g., amplify, phase adjust, and / or split). Furthermore, the signal 1040 can be supplied to port 1018, where it is received by antenna array 1002. The signal 1040 can also be supplied to slot element 1038 via feed line 1036. The slot element 1038 can convert the induced EM signal into a radiated EM signal, which is transmitted into free space by patch antenna 1039. In receive mode, the signal operates in reverse of the signal 1040.

[0092] Figure 12 shows a block diagram of system 1100 illustrating the logical interconnection of antenna array 1102 and BFN 1104. Antenna package 1002 can be implemented as antenna package 100 in Figure 1, antenna package 400 in Figure 5, or antenna package 700 in Figure 8. BFN 1004 can be implemented as, for example, BFN200 in Figure 2, BFN300 in Figure 3, BFN500 in Figure 6, BFN600 in Figure 7, BFN800 in Figure 9, or BFN900 in Figure 10.

[0093] In some examples, the antenna array 1102 can operate exclusively in transmit mode or receive mode. In other examples, the antenna array 1102 can operate in half-duplex mode, switching between receive mode and transmit mode. In yet another example, the antenna array 1102 can operate in full-duplex mode, operating simultaneously in receive mode and transmit mode.

[0094] In the illustrated example, K antenna cells 1106 communicate with BFN 1104, where K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Each of the K antenna cells 1106 can include a radiating element 1108. The radiating element 1108 can represent N orthogonally arranged slot elements 1110 and a patch antenna 1114. In the illustrated example, there are two slot elements 1110, namely the first slot element 11101 and the second slot element 11102. Each of the K antenna cells 1106 can communicate with the corresponding IC chip 1116. In the illustrated example, each IC chip 1116 can include a combiner / divider 1120 that can combine and / or divide signals traversing the IC chip 1116. In addition, each IC chip 1116 can include N paths for communicating with the N slot elements 1110 of the corresponding antenna cell 1106. In this example, each IC chip 1116 may include a first path 1122 and a second path 1124. In addition, in some examples, the first path 1122 and the second path 1124 of each IC chip 1116 may represent multiple paths that can be further subdivided into receiving paths and transmission paths.

[0095] The first path 1122 and the second path 1124 may each include an amplifier 1130 and a phase shifter 1132 for adjusting the signals communicated with the corresponding radiating elements 1108 and / or BFN 1104.

[0096] The first path 1122 can be connected to the first port 11341 of the corresponding antenna cell 1106, and the second path 1124 can be connected to the second port 11342 of the corresponding antenna cell 1106. The first port 11341 of the antenna cell 1106 can be designed to communicate signals between the first path 1122 and the first slot element 11101 of the IC chip 1116 using a first polarization. The second port 11342 of the antenna cell 1106 can be designed to communicate signals between the second slot elements 11102 using a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. For example, the first polarization can be horizontal polarization and the second polarization can be vertical polarization, and vice versa. In such a situation, the antenna array 1102 can communicate signals using right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) or left-hand circular polarization (LHCP). Alternatively, in some examples, only one slot element 1110 may exist, and the polarization may be linear polarization.

[0097] The IC chip 1116 can receive control signals from a controller 1140, which can be implemented in an external system. In some examples, the controller 1140 can be implemented as a microcontroller with embedded instructions. In some examples, the controller 1140 can be implemented as a general-purpose computer running software. In some examples, the control signals can control the operating mode of the system 1100. That is, in some examples, the control signals can control the IC chip 1116 to switch the antenna array 1102 from receive mode to transmit mode, or vice versa. In addition, in some examples, the control signals supplied from the controller 1140 can control the amplitude adjustment variable amount applied by each transmit amplifier 1130. Thus, in some examples, each transmit amplifier 1130 can be implemented as a variable gain amplifier, a switching attenuator circuit, etc. Similarly, in some examples, the control signals supplied from the controller 1140 can control the phase adjustment variable amount applied by each phase shifter 1132.

[0098] During operation in receive mode, the controller 1140 can instruct the IC chip 1116 to route signals from K antenna cells 1106 to the BFN 1104. Furthermore, in receive mode, the EM signal (RF signal) of the first polarization can be received by the patch antenna 1114 and detected by the first slot element 11101 of each of the K antenna cells 1106 (or a subset thereof). Similarly, the EM signal (RF) of the second polarization can be received by the patch antenna 1114 and detected by the second slot element 11102. Each of the first slot element 11101 and the second slot element 11102 can convert the received EM signal into an electrical signal, which can be supplied to the corresponding IC chip 1116 for adjustment. The signal supplied from the first slot element 11101 can be supplied to the first path of the IC chip 1116, and the signal supplied from the second slot element 11102 can be supplied to the second path 1124 of the IC chip 1116.

[0099] When the receiving mode is maintained, each amplifier 1130 in the first path 1122 of the IC chip 1116 can amplify the signal supplied from the first slot element 11101, and each phase shifter 1132 in the first path 1122 can apply phase adjustment and output the signal to the combiner / divider 1120. Similarly, each amplifier 1130 in the second path 1124 of the IC chip 1116 can amplify the signal supplied from the second slot element 11102, and each phase shifter 1132 in the second path 1124 can apply phase adjustment and output the signal to the combiner / divider 1120. Each combiner / divider 1120 can combine the signal from the first path 1122 with the signal from the second path 1124 so that K IC chips 1116 can output K sub-signals. The K sub-signals can be supplied to the BFN 1104. The BFN1104 can synthesize K sub-signals to form a received beam signal, which can then be provided to an external system for demodulation and processing.

[0100] During operation in transmit mode, the controller 1140 can be configured so that the IC chip 1116 supplies signals from the BFN 1104 to K antenna cells 1106. Thus, the K antenna cells 1106 can transmit a transmit beam signal that can be supplied to the BFN 1104 from an external system. The BFN 1104 can divide the transmit beam signal into K sub-signals that can be supplied to the K IC chips 1116. Each of the K IC chips 1116 can adjust its corresponding sub-signal to generate an adjusted signal, which can then be supplied to the corresponding antenna cell 1106. In the illustrated example, adjustment may include dividing the corresponding sub-signal into a first signal and a second signal.

[0101] A first signal can be supplied to the first path 1122 of the IC chip 1116, and a second signal can be supplied to the second path 1124 of the IC chip 1116. A phase shifter 1132 of the first path 1122 can apply phase adjustment to the first signal, and an amplifier 1130 of the first path 1122 can amplify the first signal. The first signal can be supplied to the first slot element 11101. The first slot element 11101 can convert the first signal into a first polarization EM signal (RF signal) that can be transmitted to the patch antenna 1114. Similarly, a phase shifter 1132 of the second path 1124 can apply phase adjustment to the second signal, and an amplifier 1130 of the second path 1124 can amplify the second signal. The second signal can be supplied to the second slot element 11102. The second slot element 11102 can convert the second signal into a second polarization EM signal (RF signal) that can be transmitted to the patch antenna 1114. The patch antenna 1114 can transmit the first polarization EM signal and the second polarization EM signal into free space.

[0102] The examples described above are embodiments. Naturally, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies, but those skilled in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly, this disclosure is intended to encompass all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of this application, including the appended claims. As used herein, the term “includes” means to include but not be limited to them, and the term “including” means to include but not be limited to them. The term “based on” means to be based at least in part. In addition, where this disclosure or claims enumerate “a,” “an,” “a first,” or “another” element or its equivalent, “a first” or “another” element (or its equivalent) should be interpreted as including one or more such elements, and not requiring or excluding two or more such elements.

Claims

1. A multilayer printed circuit board (PCB), A beamforming network (BFN) located in a global coordinate system associated with the multilayer PCB, comprising a plurality of beamforming stages, each of which comprises a plurality of BFN cells and a combiner / divider that combines and / or divides signals passing through the plurality of BFN cells, wherein a given beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages has the same geometric shape as another beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages, A plurality of antenna cells positioned in the global coordinate system to form a regular tiling pattern, each of the plurality of antenna cells interconnected with the BFN via vias extending between the BFN and the respective antenna cell, each of the plurality of antenna cells having a given rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system, and at least two of the plurality of antenna cells having different given rotation angles, A multilayer PCB in which the given beamforming stage is rotated in the global coordinate system relative to the other beamforming stage.

2. The multilayer PCB according to claim 1, wherein the given beamforming stage is rotated 180° relative to the other beamforming stage.

3. The multilayer PCB according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of beamforming stages of the BFN is arranged in a hierarchical relationship.

4. The multilayer PCB according to claim 3, wherein the given beamforming stage and the other beamforming stage are at the same level within the hierarchical relationship of the BFN.

5. The multilayer PCB according to claim 3, wherein both the given beamforming stage and the other beamforming stage are connected to a given combiner / divider.

6. The given beamforming stage is a first beamforming stage, the other beamforming stage is a second beamforming stage, the given combiner / divider is a first combiner / divider, the BFN comprises a third beamforming stage, and the third beamforming stage is The multilayer PCB according to claim 5, comprising a second combiner / divider coupled to the first combiner / divider and the third combiner / divider, wherein the third combiner / divider is coupled to the fourth beamforming stage and the fifth beamforming stage.

7. The multilayer PCB according to claim 6, wherein the fourth beamforming stage and the fifth beamforming stage are at the same level as the first beamforming stage and the second beamforming stage within the hierarchical relationship of the BFN.

8. A multilayer printed circuit board (PCB), A beamforming network (BFN) located in a global coordinate system associated with the multilayer PCB, comprising a plurality of beamforming stages, each of which comprises a plurality of BFN cells and a combiner / divider that combines and / or divides signals passing through the plurality of BFN cells, wherein a given beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages has the same geometric shape as another beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages, A plurality of antenna cells positioned in the global coordinate system to form a regular tiling pattern, each of the plurality of antenna cells interconnected with the BFN via vias extending between the BFN and the respective antenna cell, each of the plurality of antenna cells having a given rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system, and at least two of the plurality of antenna cells having different given rotation angles, A multilayer PCB in which each of the plurality of antenna cells has its own local coordinate system, and each of the plurality of antenna cells is connected to each via extending from the BFN at a position indicated by a specific set of coordinate values ​​in its respective local coordinate system.

9. The multilayer PCB according to claim 8, wherein the specific set of coordinate values ​​indicating the connection position with the via in each of the local coordinate systems is the same for each of the plurality of antenna cells.

10. The multilayer PCB according to claim 1, wherein each of the BFN cells is coupled to a respective integrated circuit (IC) chip coupled to the multilayer PCB in order to coordinate the signals communicated with the plurality of antenna cells and through their respective vias.

11. The multilayer PCB according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of BFN cells covers the respective IC chip.

12. The multilayer PCB according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of antenna cells is interconnected with the BFN via two vias.

13. A beamforming network (BFN), The beamforming stage comprises multiple beamforming stages, each of which is located within a global coordinate system corresponding to a multilayer PCB, and each beamforming stage comprises multiple BFN cells and a combiner / divider that combines and / or divides signals passing through the multiple BFN cells. A given beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages has the same geometric shape as another beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages. The BFN communicates with a plurality of antenna cells located in the global coordinate system to form a regular tiling pattern, each of the plurality of antenna cells is interconnected with the BFN via vias extending between the BFN and the respective antenna cell, each of the plurality of antenna cells has a given rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system, and at least two of the plurality of antenna cells have different given rotation angles. The given beamforming stage is rotated in the global coordinate system relative to the other beamforming stage, BFN.

14. A beamforming network (BFN), The beamforming stage comprises multiple beamforming stages, each of which is located within a global coordinate system corresponding to a multilayer PCB, and each beamforming stage comprises multiple BFN cells and a combiner / divider that combines and / or divides signals passing through the multiple BFN cells. A given beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages has the same geometric shape as another beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages. The BFN communicates with a plurality of antenna cells located in the global coordinate system to form a regular tiling pattern, each of the plurality of antenna cells is interconnected with the BFN via vias extending between the BFN and the respective antenna cell, each of the plurality of antenna cells has a given rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system, and at least two of the plurality of antenna cells have different given rotation angles. Each of the plurality of beamforming stages of the BFN is arranged in a hierarchical relationship, and a given beamforming stage and another beamforming stage are at the same level within the hierarchical relationship of the BFN.

15. The BFN according to claim 14, wherein both the given beamforming stage and the other beamforming stage are connected to a given combiner / divider.

16. The BFN according to claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of antenna cells is interconnected with the BFN via two vias.

17. The BFN according to claim 13, wherein each of the BFN cells covers and couples with each integrated circuit (IC) chip coupled to the multilayer PCB in order to coordinate the signals communicated with the plurality of antenna cells and through their respective vias.

18. A beamforming network (BFN), The beamforming stage comprises multiple beamforming stages, each of which is located within a global coordinate system corresponding to a multilayer PCB, and each beamforming stage comprises multiple BFN cells and a combiner / divider that combines and / or divides signals passing through the multiple BFN cells. A given beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages has the same geometric shape as another beamforming stage among the plurality of beamforming stages. The BFN communicates with a plurality of antenna cells located in the global coordinate system to form a regular tiling pattern, each of the plurality of antenna cells is interconnected with the BFN via vias extending between the BFN and the respective antenna cell, each of the plurality of antenna cells has a given rotation angle defined in the global coordinate system, and at least two of the plurality of antenna cells have different given rotation angles. Each of the plurality of antenna cells has its own local coordinate system, and each of the plurality of antenna cells is connected to each via extending from the BFN at a position indicated by a specific set of coordinate values ​​in its respective local coordinate system, and the specific set of coordinate values ​​indicating the connection position to the via in its respective local coordinate system is the same for each of the plurality of antenna cells.

Images