Multi-beam antenna system and phase adjustment method for multi-beam antenna system, and dual-polarized antenna system

The present invention discloses a multi-beam antenna system, comprising: a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module connected to a radio frequency port, configured to convert a radio frequency signal transmitted by the radio frequency port into M radio frequency signals having different phases; a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, which includes M first power division units, and a phase shifter is disposed on P output tributaries of each first power division unit; and M×N radiating elements, where the M×N radiating elements form a matrix having N rows and M columns, M columns of radiating elements are respectively connected to the M first power division units, N radiating elements in each column of radiating elements are respectively connected to N output tributaries of one first power division unit, and M×P radiating elements connected to output tributaries disposed with a phase shifter form a matrix having P rows and M columns.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a multi-beam antenna system and a phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system, and a dual-polarized antenna system.

BACKGROUND

An antenna is an energy converter, which can transform a guided wave propagated on a transmission line into a spatial electromagnetic wave, or perform inverse transformation. The antenna is used to transmit or receive an electromagnetic wave in wireless communication. Most common conventional antennas in a wireless communications system are: a fiberglass omnidirectional antenna, a directional panel antenna, a small whip antenna, and the like. In most cases, people require that an antenna should have a maximum coverage area and a farthest coverage distance, that is, the antenna has a maximum beam width and a maximum gain, both of which, however, are contradictory for a single-beam antenna.

A multi-beam antenna has a multi-beam radiation capability, which may increase a radiation coverage area without decreasing an antenna gain. However, a radiation coverage area of a conventional multi-beam antenna is still relatively small.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a multi-beam antenna system and a phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system, and a dual-polarized antenna system, to implement a relatively large radiation coverage area.

To resolve the foregoing technical problem, the present invention uses the following technical solutions:

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-beam antenna system, including:

a radio frequency port;

a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module connected to the radio frequency port, where the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module includes a multi-beam forming unit and a first phase control unit connected to the multi-beam forming unit, the multi-beam forming unit is configured to convert a radio frequency signal transmitted by the radio frequency port into M radio frequency signals having different phases, M is an integer greater than 1, the multi-beam forming unit has M output ends configured to respectively output the M radio frequency signals, and the first phase control unit is configured to adjust phases of the M radio frequency signals;

a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module connected to the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module, where the two-dimensional multi-beam forming module includes a phase shifter, a second phase control unit connected to the phase shifter, and M first power division units respectively connected to the M output ends in the multi-beam forming unit, where each first power division unit is configured to divide one radio frequency signal into N radio frequency signals, N is an integer greater than 1, each first power division unit has N output tributaries configured to respectively output the N radio frequency signals, the phase shifter is disposed on P output tributaries of the N output tributaries, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the second phase control unit is configured to adjust a phase for the phase shifter to perform phase shifting; and

M×N radiating elements connected to the second multi-beam forming module, where the M×N radiating elements form a matrix having N rows and M columns, the M columns of radiating elements are respectively connected to the M first power division units, N radiating elements in each column of radiating elements are respectively connected to the N output tributaries of one first power division unit, and in the matrix having N rows and M columns, M×P radiating elements connected to output tributaries disposed with a phase shifter in the M first power division units form a matrix having P rows and M columns.

With reference to the first aspect, in a first implementation manner of the first aspect, each first power division unit includes a first power divider, where the first power divider has Q output ends, and the first power divider is configured to divide one radio frequency signal into Q radio frequency signals, where Q is an integer greater than 1;

each first power division unit further includes Q second power dividers that are respectively connected to the Q output ends of the first power divider, where each second power divider includes R output ends, and each second power divider is configured to divide one radio frequency signal into R radio frequency signals, where R is an integer greater than 1, and Q×R=N; and

in the matrix having N rows and M columns, the N radiating elements in each column of radiating elements are respectively connected to N output ends of the Q second power dividers.

With reference to the first implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second implementation manner of the first aspect, on an output tributary having a phase shifter in each first power division unit, the first power divider is connected to a second power divider by using the phase shifter, or a second power divider is connected to a radiating element by using the phase shifter.

With reference to the second implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third implementation manner of the first aspect, M phase shifters respectively connected to M radiating elements of a same row form a linkage phase shifter, where the linkage phase shifter is configured to enable multiple radio frequency signals to undergo phase shifting with a same phase.

With reference to any one of the first aspect, or the first to the third implementation manners of the first aspect, in a fourth implementation manner of the first aspect, the multi-beam forming unit includes a butler matrix and a one-of-S switch, where the butler matrix is connected to the radio frequency port by using the one-of-S switch;

the butler matrix includes S input ends, where S is an integer greater than 1; and the one-of-S switch includes S output ends, where the S output ends of the one-of-S switch are respectively connected to the S input ends of the butler matrix; and

the first phase control unit is connected to a control end of the one-of-S switch, and the first phase control unit is configured to control the one-of-S switch to select one of the S output ends for outputting.

With reference to any one of the first aspect, or the first to the third implementation manners of the first aspect, in a fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the multi-beam forming unit includes a second power division unit and a phase-shift unit connected to the second power division unit, where the phase-shift unit is connected to the first phase control unit.

According to a second aspect, a dual-polarized antenna system is provided, including two multi-beam antenna systems described above, where radiating elements in one multi-beam antenna system and radiating elements in the other multi-beam antenna system are in a one-to-one correspondence to form a dual-polarized radiating element.

According to a third aspect, a phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system is provided, where the method is used for the foregoing multi-beam antenna system and includes:

adjusting phases of M radio frequency signals formed by a multi-beam forming unit, so that the M radio frequency signals have different phases; and

performing phase shifting on P radio frequency signals of N radio frequency signals in each first power division unit, and in M first power division units, performing same-phase phase shifting on M radio frequency signals of M radiating elements that are output to a same row.

According to the multi-beam antenna system and the phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system, and the dual-polarized antenna system that are provided in the present invention, a matrix radiating element is formed, and maximum gain directions of two dimensions in the matrix radiating element are respectively adjusted by using a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module and a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, thereby implementing a relatively large radiation coverage area.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following clearly describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

As shown inFIG. 1, this embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-beam antenna system, including: a radio frequency port1; a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module2connected to the radio frequency port1, where the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module2includes a multi-beam forming unit21and a first phase control unit22connected to the multi-beam forming unit21, the multi-beam forming unit21is configured to convert a radio frequency signal transmitted by the radio frequency port1into M radio frequency signals having different phases, M is an integer greater than 1, the multi-beam forming unit21has M output ends configured to respectively output the foregoing M radio frequency signals, and the first phase control unit22is configured to adjust phases of the foregoing M radio frequency signals; a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module3connected to the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module2, where the two-dimensional multi-beam forming module3includes a phase shifter32, a second phase control unit33connected to the phase shifter32, and M first power division units31respectively connected to the M output ends in the one-dimensional multi-beam forming unit2, where each first power division unit31is configured to divide one radio frequency signal into N radio frequency signals, N is an integer greater than 1, each first power division unit31has N output tributaries configured to respectively output the foregoing N radio frequency signals, the phase shifter32is disposed on P output tributaries of the foregoing N output tributaries, P is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and the foregoing second phase control unit33is configured to adjust a phase for the phase shifter32to perform phase shifting; and M×N radiating elements4connected to a second multi-beam forming module3, where the M×N radiating elements4form a matrix having N rows and M columns, the M columns of radiating elements4are respectively connected to the M first power division units31, N radiating elements in each column of radiating elements4are respectively connected to the N output tributaries of one first power division unit31, and in the foregoing matrix having N rows and M columns, M×P radiating elements4connected to output tributaries disposed with a phase shifter32in the foregoing M first power division units31form a matrix having P rows and M columns. It should be noted that, the foregoing first phase control unit22and the second phase control unit33may be two separate units, which respectively provide the multi-beam forming unit21and the phase shifter32with corresponding control signals; or as shown inFIG. 2, the foregoing first phase control unit and the second phase control unit are a same phase control unit5, and respectively provide the multi-beam forming unit21and the phase shifter32with corresponding control signals.

Specifically, first, the radio frequency port1transmits a radio frequency signal to the multi-beam forming unit21, the multi-beam forming unit21converts the radio frequency signal into M radio frequency signals having different phases and respectively transmits the M radio frequency signals to M first power division units31, and each first power division unit31divides one received radio frequency signal into multiple radio frequency signals. One or more (only one is shown inFIG. 1) radio frequency signals after power division are directly transmitted to corresponding radiating elements4, another one or more radio frequency signals after the power division are transmitted to corresponding radiating elements4after the phase shifter32performs phase shifting, and M×N radiating elements4radiate respective received radio frequency signals. A maximum gain of multiple radiating elements in a same direction is determined by a phase difference between radio frequency signals of these radiating elements. First, the multi-beam forming unit21sets M radio frequency signals output by the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module2to different phases, and then the phase shifter32performs phase shifting on radio frequency signals on P output tributaries in each first power division unit31, and in M first power division units31, same-phase phase shifting is performed on M radio frequency signals of M radiating elements4that are output to a same row, so as to ensure that the phase shifter32does not change a phase difference between the M radio frequency signals of the M radiating elements4in the same row.

For example, as shown inFIG. 1, M=4, N=2, P=1, and phases of four radio frequency signals output by the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module2are respectively −45 degrees, −90 degrees, −135 degrees, and −180 degrees. In the first power division unit31, each radio frequency signal is divided into a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal that have a same phase. Four first radio frequency signals are respectively output to four radiating elements4in a first row, and four second radio frequency signals undergo phase shifting with a phase of 10 degrees and are respectively output to four radiating elements4in a second row. Phases of four radio frequency signals received by the four radiating elements4in the first row are respectively −45 degrees, −90 degrees, −135 degrees, and −180 degrees. Phases of four radio frequency signals received by the four radiating elements4in the second row are respectively −35 degrees, −80 degrees, −125 degrees, and −170 degrees. In a matrix, a maximum gain direction of a row or a column of radiating elements is determined by a phase difference of radio frequency signals of multiple radiating elements in the row or the column. Therefore, a maximum gain direction of a first dimension (transverse) is adjusted and determined by the one-dimensional multi-beam forming module2, and a maximum gain direction of a second dimension (longitudinal) is adjusted and determined by the two-dimensional multi-beam forming module3, thereby implementing separate adjustment of maximum gain directions of two dimensions.

According to the multi-beam antenna system in this embodiment, a matrix radiating element is formed, and maximum gain directions of two dimensions in the matrix radiating element are respectively adjusted by using a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module and a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, thereby implementing a relatively large radiation coverage area.

On the basis of Embodiment 1, specifically, as shown inFIG. 3, each first power division unit31includes a first power divider311, where the first power divider311has Q output ends, and the first power divider311is configured to divide one radio frequency signal into Q radio frequency signals, where Q is an integer greater than 1; each first power division unit31further includes Q second power dividers312that are respectively connected to the Q output ends in the first power divider311, where each second power divider312includes R output ends, and each second power divider312is configured to divide one radio frequency signal into R radio frequency signals, where R is an integer greater than 1, and Q×R=N; and as shown inFIG. 4, in the foregoing matrix having N rows and M columns, N radiating elements4in each column of radiating elements4are respectively connected to N output ends of the Q second power dividers (the second power divider is not shown inFIG. 4).

Specifically, as shown inFIG. 3, on an output tributary having a phase shifter32in each first power division unit31, a second power divider312is connected to the first power divider311by using the phase shifter32; or as shown inFIG. 5, the second power divider312is connected to a radiating element4by using the phase shifter32; or as shown inFIG. 6, on some output tributaries of the first power division unit31, the second power divider312is connected to the first power divider311by using the phase shifter32, and on some other output tributaries of the first power division unit31, the second power divider312is connected to the radiating element4by using the phase shifter32.

Specifically, because M radio frequency signals of M radiating elements4that are output to a same row need to undergo phase shifting with a same phase, M phase shifters32respectively connected to the M radiating elements4in the same row form a linkage phase shifter, where the linkage phase shifter is configured to enable multiple radio frequency signals to undergo phase shifting with a same phase, and costs of the linkage phase shifter are lower than those of multiple separate phase shifters.

It should be noted that, as shown inFIG. 7, in each first power division unit31, an output tributary having a phase shifter32may be separated by an output tributary having no phase shifter32. In addition, the foregoing radiating element4is configured to transmit and receive a radio frequency signal, which may be set in a common symmetric dipole or vertical polarization manner, or in a like manner, and a spacing of the radiating element4may be adjusted according to a beam coverage area, which is generally a half wavelength. The foregoing multi-beam antenna system may be extended to a multi input and multiple output (Multi Input and Multiple Output, MIMO) antenna.

Specific working processes and principles of the multi-beam antenna system are the same as those of Embodiment 1. Details are not described herein.

According to the multi-beam antenna system in this embodiment, a matrix radiating element is formed, and maximum gain directions of two dimensions in the matrix radiating element are respectively adjusted by using a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module and a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, thereby implementing a relatively large radiation coverage area. In addition, to enable the matrix radiating element to radiate radio frequency signals having different phases, there is no need to separately dispose a component used for phase shifting in each radiating element. It is only required that phase adjustment be performed according to a beam requirement of a dimension first, and phase adjustment be then performed according to a beam requirement of another dimension. Phases after two adjustments are overlapped to obtain multiple radio frequency signals having different phases, and finally the matrix radiating element can radiate radio frequency signals having different phases, and therefore may be used together with a linkage phase shifter. Therefore, a quantity of components used for phase shifting in a phase shifting process is relatively small, which reduces complexity of an antenna system and saves costs.

On the basis of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, as shown inFIG. 8, the foregoing multi-beam forming unit21may include a butler matrix23and a one-of-S switch24, where the butler matrix23is connected to the radio frequency port1by using the one-of-S switch24; the butler matrix23includes S input ends, where S is an integer greater than 1; the one-of-S switch24includes S output ends, where the S output ends of the one-of-S switch24are respectively connected to the S input ends of the butler matrix23; and the first phase control unit22is connected to a control end of the one-of-S switch24, and the first phase control unit22is configured to control the one-of-S switch24to select one of the foregoing S output ends for outputting. When radio frequency signals are input to different input ends of the butler matrix23, the butler matrix23has different modes, and in the different modes, phases of radio frequency signals output by the butler matrix23are different. Therefore, the one-of-S switch24may implement phase adjustment on the radio frequency signals output by the butler matrix23.

Costs of the foregoing manner of using the butler matrix together with the one-of-S switch are relatively low. In addition, the foregoing multi-beam forming unit may include a second power division unit and a phase-shift unit connected to the foregoing second power division unit, where the phase-shift unit is connected to the first phase control unit. In this case, the first phase control unit directly adjusts a phase for the phase-shift unit to perform phase shifting, that is, the second power division unit enables a radio frequency signal transmitted by the radio frequency port to be converted into M radio frequency signals, and the first phase control unit and the phase-shift unit enable the M radio frequency signals to have different phases.

Specific working processes and principles of the multi-beam antenna system are the same as those of Embodiment 1. Details are not described herein.

According to the multi-beam antenna system in this embodiment, a matrix radiating element is formed, and maximum gain directions of two dimensions in the matrix radiating element are respectively adjusted by using a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module and a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, thereby implementing a relatively large radiation coverage area. In addition, to enable the matrix radiating element to radiate radio frequency signals having different phases, there is no need to separately dispose a component used for phase shifting in each radiating element. It is only required that phase adjustment be performed according to a beam requirement of a dimension first, and phase adjustment be then performed according to a beam requirement of another dimension. Phases after two adjustments are overlapped to obtain multiple radio frequency signals having different phases, and finally the matrix radiating element can radiate radio frequency signals having different phases, and therefore may be used together with a butler matrix. The butler matrix implements a phase adjustment function for a radio frequency signal by using a bridge, and costs of a bridge are lower than those of a phase shifter.

On the basis of Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2, or Embodiment 3, this embodiment provides a dual-polarized antenna system, including two multi-beam antenna systems described above. As shown inFIG. 9, radiating elements in one multi-beam antenna system and radiating elements in the other multi-beam antenna system are in a one-to-one correspondence to form a dual-polarized radiating element.

Specific working processes and principles of each multi-beam antenna system are the same as those of Embodiment 1. Details are not described herein.

According to the dual-polarized antenna system in this embodiment, a matrix radiating element is formed, and maximum gain directions of two dimensions in the matrix radiating element are respectively adjusted by using a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module and a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, thereby implementing a relatively large radiation coverage area.

On the basis of Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2, or Embodiment 3, this embodiment provides a phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system, where the method is used for the foregoing multi-beam antenna system, and includes:

Step101: Adjust phases of M radio frequency signals formed by a multi-beam forming unit, so that the foregoing M radio frequency signals have different phases.

Step102: Perform phase shifting on P radio frequency signals of N radio frequency signals in each first power division unit, and in M first power division units, perform same-phase phase shifting on M radio frequency signals of M radiating elements that are output to a same row.

Specific working processes and principles of the multi-beam antenna system are the same as those of the foregoing embodiment. Details are not described herein.

According to the phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system in this embodiment, a matrix radiating element is formed, and maximum gain directions of two dimensions in the matrix radiating element are respectively adjusted by using a one-dimensional multi-beam forming module and a two-dimensional multi-beam forming module, thereby implementing a relatively large radiation coverage area.

It should be noted that, adjusting a phase of a radio frequency signal radiated by a radiating element may implement adjustment of a beam radiation path; the multi-beam antenna system and the phase adjustment method for a multi-beam antenna system, and the dual-polarized antenna system in the foregoing embodiments are applicable to various application scenarios in which a beam radiation path needs to be adjusted, for example, an indoor WIFI scenario in which a location of a user is not fixed, and a WIFI hotspot needs to adjust a beam radiation path at any time to trace the user; a small cell backhaul antenna scenario in which a backhaul antenna and a base station perform point-to-point transmission, and because a beam is quite narrow, it is difficult to completely align the base station when an antenna is installed; in the multi-beam antenna system in the foregoing embodiments, alignment between the antenna and the base station may be implemented by adjusting a beam radiation path, and robustness of the antenna is increased; and an in-vehicle base station/in-vehicle backhaul antenna scenario in which a vehicle is in a moving state, and a beam radiation path needs to be adjusted at any time to implement alignment between the antenna and the base station.