Offset PCB Antenna Array Layout for Lower Grating Lobes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional modular antenna arrays face challenges in reducing grating lobes, which can cause interference and are costly to redesign for large arrays, limiting their flexibility and efficiency in achieving desired antenna patterns.
Innovation Solution
The modular antenna array design incorporates staggered and offset arrangements of antenna elements and RFICs on separate PCBs, employing existing radio modules to minimize grating lobes and enhance side lobe suppression, allowing for flexible geometry configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional modular antenna arrays are designed with regular geometric patterns, then manufacturing is simplified, but grating lobes increase causing interference and performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by deliberately offsetting antenna elements from their regular geometric positions. The offset amount is specifically designed to be less than half the element spacing, creating an asymmetric arrangement that disrupts the periodicity responsible for grating lobes while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through systematic offset patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying offsets selectively to specific antenna elements rather than uniformly across the entire array. Each element's offset is optimized locally to contribute to overall grating lobe suppression while maintaining the global array geometry for manufacturability.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If antenna elements are offset to reduce grating lobes, then side lobe suppression improves, but array geometry complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric offset arrangement suppresses grating lobes by disrupting the periodic interference patterns that create high side lobes. The offset amount is carefully controlled to be less than half the element spacing, ensuring that while geometry becomes more complex, the improvement in side lobe suppression justifies the added complexity.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If large antenna arrays are redesigned to reduce grating lobes, then performance improves, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the antenna array into modular units with standardized geometries, where only the offset positions need to be adjusted. This segmentation allows existing modular antenna components to be reused, significantly reducing manufacturing and redesign costs compared to completely redesigning large antenna arrays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the positional parameters of antenna elements by applying systematic offsets rather than redesigning the entire array geometry. This parameter change approach maintains component compatibility and simplifies manufacturing while effectively reducing grating lobes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves improved side lobe suppression and directivity without sacrificing antenna gain or steering range, enabling more cost-effective and efficient antenna array configurations compared to traditional approaches.
Implementation Method 1
A conventional antenna array is a set of individual antennas used for transmitting and/or receiving radio waves, connected together in such a way that their individual currents are in a specified amplitude and phase relationship. The interactions of the different phases enhances the signal in one desired direction at the expense of other directions.
Implementation Method 2
A steerable array may be fixed physically but has electronic control over the relationship between those currents, allowing for adjustment of the antenna's directionality known as phased array antenna.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an antenna array arrangement including a plurality of antenna arrays. Each antenna array includes a plurality of antenna elements. At least two of the plurality of antenna arrays are staggered along at least one of a horizontal dimension or a vertical dimension. Adjacent elements of a projection of the antenna elements of the antenna array arrangement onto a horizontal dimension or a vertical dimension have a distance that is in the order of half of a wavelength of a radio signal to be transmitted from the antenna array arrangement.