Beamforming Antenna Port Sharing Across Multiple Array Columns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current base station antennas face challenges in achieving high gain and capacity while maintaining cost-effectiveness, with 8T8R solutions offering low gain and coarse patterns, and 16T16R solutions being expensive and complex.
Innovation Solution
The proposed antenna system includes a beamforming radio with fewer radio signal ports than columns of radiating elements, using a coupling circuit with RF couplers and splitters to share signal ports across multiple columns, allowing for improved antenna patterns and gains with relatively inexpensive radios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If 16T16R radio solution is used to increase gain and capacity, then antenna gain and data throughput are improved, but cost and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple radio signal ports are merged to feed a single column of radiating elements. The coupling circuit combines signals from multiple ports (e.g., ports 1-4) to feed column 1, allowing the antenna array to achieve high gain patterns without requiring a proportionally large number of radio ports, thus reducing radio complexity and cost while maintaining antenna gain
Solution Approach 2:
Each radio signal port is designed to serve multiple functions by feeding multiple columns through the coupling circuit. A single port can contribute to multiple antenna beams and multiple columns, making the radio system more versatile and reducing the total number of ports needed compared to a direct one-to-one mapping approach
2Productivity
If 16T16R radio solution is used to increase capacity, then supportable throughput is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling circuit merges multiple radio signal ports to feed individual columns, enabling the system to achieve 16-column array performance with fewer than 16 radio ports. This reduces the cost of the radio unit while maintaining the throughput capacity needed for high-data-rate applications through improved antenna beamforming
3Device complexity
If 8T8R radio solution is used to reduce cost, then device complexity is reduced, but antenna gain and pattern quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically controls the phase and amplitude of signals fed to each column through the coupling circuit, allowing an 8-port radio to generate multiple simultaneous antenna beams with proper beamforming. This dynamic control enables high gain patterns to be achieved despite using fewer radio ports than columns
4Device complexity
If number of radio ports is reduced to decrease complexity, then cost and device complexity are reduced, but number of antenna beams that can be formed is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling circuit introduces a new dimensional approach by allowing multiple radio ports to feed a single column while also enabling that column's signal to contribute to multiple antenna beams through phase control. This dimensional reorganization of the signal flow allows more antenna beams to be formed than the number of radio ports
Data Source
AI summary
Antenna systems are provided. An antenna system includes a beamforming array having a plurality of vertical columns of radiating elements that are each configured to transmit at least three antenna beams per polarization. Moreover, the antenna system includes a beamforming radio having a plurality of radio frequency ports per polarization that are coupled to and fewer than the vertical columns.