Interleaved 5G and Low-Band Antenna Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Installing new antennas for next-generation wireless services, such as 5G, is challenging in densely populated urban areas due to the difficulty in acquiring new sites and the lengthy, costly negotiations required for adding new antennas.

Innovation Solution

An interleaved antenna arrangement is used, where low-band (LB) passive antennas are integrated within the existing space between 5G antennas, forming an active-passive antenna (APA) configuration, allowing 5G antennas to be added without requiring additional space.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If new antennas for 5G service are added to existing sites, then wireless service capability is improved, but physical space requirements cannot be met due to crowded urban rooftops

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewireless service capabilityVSAvoidphysical space
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements nesting by placing low-band passive antennas inside the structural framework of high-band active antennas. The low-band antennas are positioned within the spacing between high-band antenna elements, effectively nesting one antenna system within another. This allows both 5G high-band and low-band services to coexist in the same physical footprint without interfering with each other's radiation patterns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes three-dimensional spatial arrangement by positioning low-band antennas at different heights and orientations relative to high-band antennas. The low-band antennas are arranged in a configuration that exploits the vertical and lateral dimensions within the existing antenna structure, transforming a two-dimensional space constraint into a three-dimensional solution that accommodates multiple antenna types.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If new antenna types are integrated into existing installations, then service functionality is enhanced, but installation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice functionalityVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges active high-band antennas and passive low-band antennas into a single integrated antenna system. Both antenna types share common mounting structures, support frameworks, and spatial arrangements, combining their functions into one unified installation. This merging approach reduces the number of separate installation processes and simplifies overall system deployment while maintaining distinct operational characteristics of each antenna type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Area of stationary object

If antenna arrays are densely packed to save space, then area usage is optimized, but signal interference may increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvearea usageVSAvoidsignal interference
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different spatial zones within the antenna structure to different frequency bands. High-band antennas occupy certain spatial regions while low-band antennas are positioned in complementary zones, with each antenna type optimized for its specific frequency range. This localized spatial allocation minimizes overlapping radiation patterns and reduces potential signal interference between bands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3794674B1Multiband antenna structure
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 ALCATEL LUCENT SHANGHAI BELL CO LTD
  • EP3794674B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3794674B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3794674B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C

AI summary

An active passive antenna arrangement as made up of an array of 5G antennas interleaved with multiband antenna structures that may be low band (LB) passive antennas. The 5G antenna array may be a mMIMO active array. The LB antennas are formed using conductive elements on thin supporting sheets that fit within the space between the 5G antennas. The substrates, and hence the radiating elements of the LB antennas, may be arranged so as to generally appear to form four sides of a rectangular box with the top and bottom surfaces removed. Thus, the LB antennas may be thought of as having been "slipped in" amongst a preexisting array of 5G antennas. Each LB antenna may surround one or more of the 5G antennas and 5G antennas of the array may also be external to an LB antenna.