Granted Patent B2

US 12,627,045 · App. 17/918,635 · Granted May 12, 2026

Inventors: Martin Da Silveira (Ottawa, CA); Neil Mcgowan (Stittsville, CA)

Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

H01Q3/36H01Q3/28H01Q21/22H01Q3/26H01Q21/0006

Abstract

Claims (62)

1 . An antenna system, the antenna system comprising:

a plurality of antenna subarrays, each of the plurality of antenna subarrays having:

a subarray input; and

at least one subarray splitter in communication with the subarray input, each of the at least one subarray splitter splitting the antenna subarray into a plurality of branches, at least one of the branches comprising a phase only taper function; and

for each of the plurality of antenna subarrays, the phase only taper function comprising a plurality of fixed phase values that are configured to not exceed a predetermined sidelobe suppression target for a plurality of electrical tilt angles across a predetermined angular range for the antenna subarray of the plurality of antenna subarrays;

each of the plurality of antenna subarrays includes a plurality of antenna elements, a first antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements being separated from a second antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements by a first distance, d;

for at least one of the plurality of antenna subarrays, the plurality of antenna elements further comprises a third antenna element that is separated from the second antenna element by a second distance, the second distance being different from the first distance, d; and

the first, second and third antenna elements are adjacent to one another.

2 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the phase only taper function comprises a phase progression and a phase taper.

3 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein each fixed phase value of the plurality of fixed phase values corresponds to a single frequency.

4 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined sidelobe suppression target is a maximum sidelobe level threshold in a sidelobe suppression angular region.

5 . The antenna system of claim 4 , wherein the sidelobe suppression angular region is at least one of:

according to a specification requirement; and

20 degrees above a peak.

6 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined angular range is between 2 degrees and 12 degrees relative to a horizon.

7 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fixed phase values and a plurality of fixed amplitude values are configured to not exceed the predetermined sidelobe suppression target for the plurality of electrical tilt angles and further for a plurality of frequencies.

8 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fixed phase values and a plurality of fixed amplitude values are configured to not exceed the predetermined sidelobe suppression target for the plurality of electrical tilt angles and further for a set of phase and amplitude excitation values corresponding to at least one input signal into the subarray input, the at least one input signal corresponding to at least one cellular signal and the set of phase and amplitude excitation values being for electrically titling a beam of the antenna system in a vertical direction.

9 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles are different from one another and the configuration of the plurality of fixed phase values is to not exceed the predetermined sidelobe suppression target for each of the plurality of different, electrical tilt angles across the predetermined angular range.

10 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration is according to an algorithm to minimize a cost function.

11 . The antenna system of claim 10 , wherein the cost function is based at least in part on at least one of:

a maximum power of at least one sidelobe in a sidelobe suppression angular region for each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles;

a power at a beam peak direction at each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles;

a target power of a beam peak at each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles;

a target sidelobe power at each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles; and

at least one weighting factor associated with a specification requirement for at least one of the plurality of electrical tilt angles.

12 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one subarray splitter comprises:

one subarray splitter in communication with the corresponding subarray input.

13 . The antenna system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one subarray splitter comprises:

a multi-way splitter in communication with the corresponding subarray input, the multi-way splitter splitting the antenna subarray into at least two antenna subarrays;

at least one phase shifter at an output of the multi-way splitter and between the multi-way splitter and at least one antenna subarray of the at least two antenna subarrays; and

for each of the at least two antenna subarrays, a second subarray splitter splitting the respective antenna subarray into the plurality of branches.

14 . A method implemented in an antenna system, the method comprising:

electrically tilting a beam in a vertical direction using a plurality of antenna subarrays, each of the plurality of antenna subarrays having:

a subarray input; and

at least one subarray splitter in communication with the subarray input, each of the at least one subarray splitter splitting the antenna subarray into a plurality of branches, at least one of the branches comprising a phase only taper function; and

for each of the plurality of antenna subarrays, the phase only taper function comprising a plurality of fixed phase values that are configured to not exceed a predetermined sidelobe suppression target for a plurality of electrical tilt angles across a predetermined angular range for the antenna subarray of the plurality of antenna subarrays;

each of the plurality of antenna subarrays includes a plurality of antenna elements, a first antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements being separated from a second antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements by a first distance, d;

for at least one of the plurality of antenna subarrays, the plurality of antenna elements further comprises a third antenna element that is separated from the second antenna element by a second distance, the second distance being different from the first distance, d; and

the first, second and third antenna elements are adjacent to one another.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the phase only taper function comprises a phase progression and a phase taper.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein each fixed phase value of the plurality of fixed phase values corresponds to a single frequency.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined sidelobe suppression target is a maximum sidelobe level threshold in a sidelobe suppression angular region.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the sidelobe suppression angular region is at least one of:

according to a specification requirement; and

20 degrees above a peak.

19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined angular range is between 2 degrees and 12 degrees relative to a horizon.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of fixed phase values and a plurality of fixed amplitude values are configured to not exceed the predetermined sidelobe suppression target for the plurality of electrical tilt angles and further for a plurality of frequencies.

21 . The method claim 14 , wherein the plurality of fixed phase values and a plurality of fixed amplitude values are configured to not exceed the predetermined sidelobe suppression target for the plurality of electrical tilt angles and further for a set of phase and amplitude excitation values corresponding to at least one input signal into the subarray input, the at least one input signal corresponding to at least one cellular signal and the set of phase and amplitude excitation values being for electrically titling the beam of the antenna system in the vertical direction.

22 . The method of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles are different from one another and the configuration of the plurality of fixed phase values is to not exceed the predetermined sidelobe suppression target for each of the plurality of different, electrical tilt angles across the predetermined angular range.

23 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the configuration is according to an algorithm to minimize a cost function.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the cost function is based at least in part on at least one of:

a maximum power of at least one sidelobe in a sidelobe suppression angular region for each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles;

a power at a beam peak direction at each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles;

a target power of a beam peak at each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles;

a target sidelobe power at each of the plurality of electrical tilt angles; and

at least one weighting factor associated with a specification requirement for at least one of the plurality of electrical tilt angles.

25 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one subarray splitter comprises:

one subarray splitter in communication with the corresponding subarray input.

26 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one subarray splitter comprises:

a multi-way splitter in communication with the corresponding subarray input, the multi-way splitter splitting the antenna subarray into at least two antenna subarrays;

at least one phase shifter at an output of the multi-way splitter and between the multi-way splitter and at least one antenna subarray of the at least two antenna subarrays; and

for each of the at least two antenna subarrays, a second subarray splitter splitting the respective antenna subarray into the plurality of branches.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (21)