Patent ID: 12244065

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIG.1illustrates an exemplary multiband array high packing density array face100according to the disclosure. Exemplary array face100includes a plurality of midband dipoles105, which may be arranged in four columns, each column along the antenna's y axis, and the columns adjacent along the x axis. Array face100may include two columns of lowband dipoles110, which may be interleaved with the four columns of midband dipoles105. Array face100may have an additional subarray of C-Band or CBRS dipoles115. Exemplary array face100may have a width (along the x-axis) of 18 inches.

Array face100may be deployed as part of a multiport antenna, such as a 20-port antenna. In this example, the lowband dipoles110may be allocated four ports, one per +/−45 degree polarization of each of the two lowband dipole columns; the midband dipoles105may be allocated 8 ports, one per +/−45 degree polarization of each of the four midband dipole columns; and the C-Band/CBRS dipoles115may be allocated 8 ports to enable 8T8R operation. It will be understood that this port allocation is exemplary, and that other port allocations are possible and within the scope of the disclosure.

Although the illustrated exemplary array face100has four columns of midband dipoles105and two interleaved columns of lowband dipoles110, it will be understood that variations to this configuration are possible and within the scope of the disclosure.

FIG.2illustrates an exemplary unit cell200according to the disclosure. Unit cell200may be an arrangement of four midband dipoles105and a single lowband dipole110. The illustrated unit cell200ofFIG.2may be similar to the four midband dipoles105and lowband dipole110in the “lower left” corner of array face100inFIG.1.

Unit cell200may illustrate the challenge of densely packing the midband dipoles105with one or more lowband dipoles110. For example, using conventional dipoles, the center-to-center distance along the x-axis must be at least 4 inches to prevent cross polarization. However, with the exemplary midband dipole105according to the disclosure, center-to-center distance between a given midband dipole105and a neighboring lowband dipole110may be as low as 2.75 inches.

FIG.3Aillustrates an exemplary midband dipole105according to the disclosure. Midband dipole105includes a radiator board305and a balun stem310. Radiator board305may be formed of a PCB having conductors on both its upper and lower surfaces. For the purposes of illustration, the PCB of the radiator board305is depicted as transparent to provide a view of the conductive traces on its upper and lower surfaces. Radiator board305has two first polarization coupling elements320athat are disposed on its upper surface; and two second polarization coupling elements320bthat are also disposed on its upper surface. The first polarization coupling elements320aare disposed orthogonally to the second polarization coupling elements320b, each respectively corresponding to a +45 degree and −45 degree polarization, and are illustrated in further detail inFIG.3C.

Radiator board305has four conductive folded dipole elements315aand315b, disposed on its lower surface. Each of the two first polarization folded dipole elements315aare capacitively and inductively coupled to a corresponding first polarization coupling elements320a; and each of the two second polarization folded dipole elements315bare capacitively and inductively coupled to a corresponding second polarization coupling elements320b.

Folded dipole elements315a/315bmay be configured as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application HIGH PERFORMANCE FOLDED DIPOLE FOR MULTIBAND ANTENNA, Ser. No. 63/075,394, which is incorporated by reference as if fully disclosed herein.

In an exemplary embodiment, radiator board305may be formed of a PCB material such as ZYF300CA-C, having a thickness of 30 mil, and the conductive elements and traces formed on the PCB according to the disclosure may be formed of Copper having a thickness of 1.4 mil. It will be understood that such materials and dimensions are exemplary, and that variations to these are possible and within the scope of the disclosure.

FIG.3Billustrates the midband dipole105ofFIG.3A, but from below, revealing balun stem310and folded dipole elements315a/bon the lower surface of radiator board305. In this illustration, the PCB of radiator board305is opaque, so that only the conductive elements and traces on its lower surface are shown. Further toFIG.3B, balun stem310has two balun plates:325a, which provides a first RF signal to folded dipole elements315avia first polarization coupling elements320a; and325b, which provides a second RF signal to folded dipole elements315bvia second polarization coupling elements320b. Also illustrated are four signal feeds312, two per balun plate325a/b, which couple to a feedboard (not shown).

FIG.3Cis a closeup view of the upper portion of the exemplary midband radiator105, illustrating the exemplary first polarization coupling elements320aand second polarization coupling elements320b. Illustrated are the mounting tabs of balun plates325a/b, disposed on which are conductive traces (not shown). The conductive traces of balun plate325bare conductively coupled to capacitive coupling elements320bthrough solder joints330b. Similarly, the conductive traces of balun plate325aare conductively coupled to capacitive coupling elements320athrough solder joints (not shown). Capacitive coupling elements320aeach have an inductive trace335a, which is explained further below.

FIG.3Dillustrates the upper surface of radiator board305, coupled to balun stem310.FIG.3Dis a similar view to that ofFIG.3C, but with the PCB of radiator board305rendered transparent for purposes of illustration. As illustrated, folded dipole elements315a/bare disposed on the lower surface of radiator board305, and first polarization coupling elements320aand second polarization coupling elements320bare disposed on the upper surface. Further, each inductive trace335a/b, as disposed on radiator board305, couples to a via340a/b, which then conductively couples to a respective radiator inductive trace345a/b, which in turn couples to the respective folded dipole element315a/bnear the base, disposed on the opposite side of the PCB radiator board305from the respective polarization coupling element320a/b, effectively forming an inductive loop.

Each inductive trace345a/bmay be disposed on the lower surface of radiator plate305such that it follows a path within an open area defined by the geometry of respective folded dipole element315a/b.

Functionally, a first RF signal provided to the conductive traces of balun plate325ais coupled through both solder joints330ato first polarization coupling elements320a. The first RF signal conducted to first polarization coupling elements320aare capacitively coupled to respective folded dipole elements315a. However, additionally, the RF signal is coupled from each folded dipole element315athrough its respective inductive trace335a, via340a, and radiator inductive trace345a. This inductive coupling, in conjunction with the capacitive coupling between first polarization coupling elements320arespective folded dipole elements315a, decouples the midband dipole105such that it creates an CLC filter, which chokes out any common mode resonance, and making the midband dipole105effectively invisible to the lowband dipole110. Further, the folded dipole structure (as opposed to a cross dipole) of the midband dipole105mitigates any subsequent insertion loss due to the decoupling structure according to the disclosure.

The decoupling provided by the disclosed midband dipole105renders it effectively invisible to the lowband dipole110to where different lowband dipoles may be employed in array face100to accommodate different specific licensed and unlicensed frequency bands as may be required for different network operators. Accordingly, different lowband dipoles110may be “pugged in” to array face100for different customers without the need to redesign the array face100or the midband dipoles105.

Although the above discussion involved the design of a midband dipole that renders it effectively invisible to one or more lowband dipoles located in close proximity, it will be understood that these dipoles may correspond to other frequency bands whereby first dipoles of a first frequency range may have the disclosed dipole design such that it will be rendered effectively invisible to one or more second dipoles of a second frequency range, whereby the first frequencies are sufficiently higher than the second frequencies such that the first frequency band has a 0.4λ relation to the second frequency band. It will be understood that such variations are possible and within the scope of the disclosure.