Stacked MIMO Antenna Assembly With Integrated PCB Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current MIMO antenna systems face challenges in achieving a compact and lightweight design while maintaining electrical connectivity and assembly efficiency, and require effective calibration methods to ensure transmission and reception quality, especially with the increasing number of antennas in massive MIMO technology.
Innovation Solution
A MIMO antenna system with a stacked structure that includes a first printed circuit board with antenna elements and band-pass filters, a second PCB with transmitting and receiving circuits, and a calibration network with switches in a tree structure, allowing for real-time calibration during operation using a time division duplex (TDD) scheme.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of antennas is increased to achieve higher data transmission rates, then channel capacity is improved, but weight and size of the antenna system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is divided into multiple independent antenna modules, each containing a subset of antenna elements. This segmentation allows the total antenna array to be constructed from lighter modular units rather than a single heavy structure, enabling high channel capacity while managing weight through distributed modular architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from planar antenna arrangements to three-dimensional stacked configurations. By stacking antenna modules vertically along the Z-axis, the system achieves higher effective antenna counts and improved channel capacity without proportionally increasing the horizontal footprint, thereby managing weight and space more efficiently
2Productivity
If the number of antennas is increased to achieve higher data transmission rates, then channel capacity is improved, but the installation space required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs vertical stacking of antenna modules along the Z-axis to achieve three-dimensional spatial arrangement. This allows multiple antenna elements to be packed into a compact volume by utilizing the vertical dimension, thereby increasing channel capacity without proportionally increasing the horizontal installation area
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna modules are designed with nested or integrated structures where components are arranged concentrically or in overlapping configurations. This nesting approach maximizes the use of available space within each module, allowing higher antenna density without increasing the overall installation footprint
3Area of stationary object
If high power output is used to expand coverage, then coverage area is improved, but power consumption and heat generation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna system is divided into multiple independent modules, each capable of operating at lower power levels. By distributing the transmission load across multiple modules rather than requiring a single high-power output, the system achieves expanded coverage through spatial diversity while reducing the power consumption and heat generation associated with any single module
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple antenna modules work together in coordinated transmission, combining their individual coverage areas to achieve system-level expanded coverage. This cooperative approach allows the system to reach farther distances through constructive signal combination rather than relying on high power output from individual modules, thereby reducing overall power consumption and thermal load
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna having a lightweight stacked structure. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a MIMO antenna assembly having a lightweight stacked structure, in which a calibration network, which was provided between antenna elements and filters in the related art, is provided on one printed circuit board (PCB), together with a power amplifier and a digital circuit, and filters are closely coupled to the bottom of the PCB on which the feeding network is provided. The present invention employs a strategy in which an antenna assembly is reduced to a compact size while managing phase deviation caused due to filters at an acceptable level. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a calibration method, in which transmission/reception (TX/RX) calibration may be performed by a single calibration hardware component of a MIMO antenna operated by a time division duplex (TDD) scheme and may be performed in real time during the operation of the MIMO antenna, and the MIMO antenna employing the calibration method.