Stacked Antenna Subpanels for More Rx Branches in the Same Area
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing antenna arrangements face challenges in achieving good performance and capacity, especially when increasing the number of reception branches, which often requires larger antenna areas, especially at lower frequencies.
Innovation Solution
An antenna arrangement with P polarization directions, comprising M transmission ports and N reception ports, where M#N, is achieved by dividing the antenna panel into S subpanels stacked on top of each other, with each subpanel operatively connected to separate radio chains, allowing each Tx or Rx port to be connected to multiple subpanels for each polarization direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of reception branches is increased to four or more, then uplink performance is improved, but the total antenna area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna panel is divided into multiple subpanels (S subpanels where S = max(M,N)/P), with each subpanel handling specific polarization directions. This segmentation allows the antenna system to achieve 4+ reception branches through virtualization rather than physical multiplication, maintaining compact form factor while improving uplink performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional antenna layout to a three-dimensional stacked configuration where S subpanels are vertically arranged. Each subpanel is connected to separate radio chains, enabling the system to achieve 4+ reception branches by utilizing the vertical dimension rather than expanding horizontally, thus improving uplink performance without increasing the horizontal antenna area.
2Quantity of substance
If an extra antenna is mounted or existing antenna is replaced with quad antenna, then the number of reception branches increases to four, but the total antenna area increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each subpanel is designed to handle multiple polarization directions (P polarization directions), making the antenna system multi-functional. The S subpanels collectively provide 4+ reception branches through their combined capability to handle different polarizations, eliminating the need for separate quad antennas while achieving the same reception branch quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of expanding the antenna system horizontally by mounting additional antennas or replacing with larger quad antennas, the patent stacks S subpanels vertically. This vertical arrangement enables 4+ reception branches within a compact footprint, increasing the quantity of reception branches without proportionally increasing the total antenna area.
3Productivity
If the antenna area is increased, then capacity is improved, but the physical space requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna panel is segmented into S subpanels, each connected to separate radio chains and handling specific polarization directions. This segmentation enables the system to achieve higher capacity through increased reception branches (4+) while maintaining a compact physical area, as the subpanels are efficiently stacked rather than spread out.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by stacking S subpanels on top of each other, enabling the system to achieve higher capacity through 4+ reception branches without proportionally increasing the horizontal antenna area. This three-dimensional arrangement improves capacity while constraining the physical footprint.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
There is presented an antenna arrangement with P polarization directions. The antenna arrangement comprises M transmission (Tx) ports and N reception (Rx) ports, where M≠N. The antenna arrangement comprises an antenna panel divided into S subpanels, where S = max (M, N)/P. The subpanels are, for each polarization direction, operatively connected to separate radio chains for the N Rx ports if N>M or for the M Tx ports if M>N.