Antenna Arrangement with Polarization Control for Odd Sectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional antenna systems face challenges in reconfiguring polarization properties, especially when dealing with odd numbers of sectors, leading to coherent beam-forming issues that are difficult to predict and are sensitive to antenna placement and cabling errors, which complicates power-efficient site installations and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
An antenna arrangement with two antenna part ports for each polarization, connected through a polarization controlling means that includes a distribution network with Butler matrices to vary polarization properties as a function of spatial angles, allowing for desired polarization characteristics to be set and controlled, reducing the impact of antenna placement errors and enabling reconfiguration without coherent beam-forming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional sector antennas with identical polarization are used for all directions, then the antenna system is simple to install and maintain, but coherent beam-forming issues occur when reconfiguring with odd numbers of sectors, leading to unpredictable signal interactions and sensitivity to antenna placement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the polarization properties of the antenna arrangement dynamically controllable through a polarization controlling means. This allows the system to adapt its polarization characteristics based on operational requirements, enabling reconfiguration between different sector operations while avoiding coherent beam-forming issues that plague static conventional systems with odd numbers of sectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the polarization parameter from being substantially identical for all directions (conventional approach) to being controllable and variable through the polarization controlling means. This parameter change enables the system to set desired polarization variations to prevent coherent beam-forming between adjacent sectors, thereby improving predictability and reliability of signal interactions during reconfiguration.
2Use of energy by moving object
If reconfiguration is performed to allow partial shutdown of base station equipment for energy saving, then power efficiency is improved, but the system becomes sensitive to antenna placement errors and cabling mistakes due to coherent beam-forming effects
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic polarization control capability allows the system to maintain desired polarization variations during reconfiguration operations. This ensures that when sectors are activated or deactivated based on traffic load, the remaining active sectors do not exhibit coherent beam-forming effects, thereby reducing sensitivity to antenna placement errors and cabling mistakes while preserving power efficiency benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The polarization controlling means acts as an intermediary between the antenna elements and the signal sources. It introduces the necessary polarization variations to prevent coherent beam-forming, thereby decoupling the system's performance from strict requirements on antenna placement precision and cabling accuracy during reconfiguration operations.
3Reliability
If orthogonal polarizations are used in adjacent sectors to avoid coherent beam-forming, then an even number of sectors is required, but this limits the flexibility of site installations that need to accommodate odd numbers of sectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by making polarization properties dynamically controllable. Instead of being fixed to orthogonal polarizations for even-numbered sectors only, the system can adapt its polarization characteristics to accommodate any number of sectors (odd or even) while maintaining the desired polarization variations that prevent coherent beam-forming, thereby achieving both reliability and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the polarization parameter from being constrained to fixed orthogonal values (which required even numbers of sectors) to being continuously controllable through the polarization controlling means. This enables the system to achieve the desired polarization variations for coherent beam-forming avoidance regardless of whether the site has an odd or even number of sectors, thus improving adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an antenna arrangement (100) comprising an antenna part comprising at least two antenna means, each with a number of first antenna elements having a first polarization and a number of second antenna elements having a second polarization different from said first polarization, said antenna part further comprising antenna part ports. There are two antenna part ports for each antenna means, one antenna part port for each polarization, and the antenna arrangement (100) further comprises polarization controlling means (30), comprising a distribution network, to which the antenna part ports are connected, and which includes at least a main forming network with external interface antenna ports (301,302,303,304). The polarization controlling means (30) is configured to connect antenna part ports and external interface antenna ports (301, 302, 303, 304).