Beam forming antennas having dual-polarized dielectric radiating elements therein
Beam forming antennas for base station applications are configured as dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) having arrays of dielectric resonator radiating elements (DRRE) therein with dual-polarized radiating properties. Each DRRE includes a dielectric radiating element (DRE) electromagnetically coupled by a resonant cavity to a respective cross-polarized feed network, which is responsive to first and second radio frequency (RF) input feed signals. Each resonant cavity may be configured as a polymer-filled resonant cavity, and each DRE may be configured as a cylindrically-shaped or dome-shaped dielectric radiating element.
1. An antenna, comprising:
a cross-polarized feed network responsive to first and second radio frequency (RF) input feed signals; and
a dielectric radiating element (DRE) electromagnetically coupled by a resonant cavity to said cross-polarized feed network.
2. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein said DRE comprises a cylindrically-shaped or dome-shaped dielectric material.
3. The antenna of claim 1 , further comprising an electrically conductive patch radiator, which is responsive to a plurality of RF feed signals provided by said cross-polarized feed network.
4. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein the resonant cavity extends within a metallized polymer disc having a circular metallic patch radiator thereon.
5. The antenna of claim 4 , wherein said DRE comprises a nested arrangement of a plurality of dielectric radiating sub-elements, on the patch radiator.
6. The antenna of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of dielectric radiating sub-elements comprises N+1 dielectric radiating sub-elements, where N is a positive integer; and wherein N of the dielectric radiating sub-elements are received within an N+1th dielectric radiating sub-element.
7. The antenna of claim 6 , wherein at least some of the plurality of dielectric radiating sub-elements are cylindrically-shaped or dome-shaped.
8. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein the resonant cavity is external to the DRE.
9. An antenna, comprising:
a dielectric radiating element (DRE) electromagnetically coupled through a polymer-filled resonant cavity to a cross-polarized feed network, which is responsive to a pair of radio frequency (RF) input feed signals.
10. The antenna of claim 9 , wherein the polymer-filled resonant cavity is cylindrically shaped.
11. The antenna of claim 9 , wherein said polymer-filled resonant cavity extends within a metallized polymer disc.
12. The antenna of claim 11 , wherein said DRE is electromagnetically coupled to the resonant cavity via an annular-shaped slot in the metallized polymer disc.
13. The antenna of claim 11 , wherein the metallized polymer disc comprises an electrically conductive patch radiator; and wherein the cross-polarized feed network comprises a plurality of electrically conductive vias, which extend through the polymer-filled resonant cavity and are electrically connected to respective portions of the patch radiator.
14. The antenna of claim 9 , wherein said DRE comprises a cylindrically-shaped or dome-shaped dielectric material.
15. A dielectric resonator antenna (DRA), comprising:
a dielectric block having a plurality of slots therein; and
a cross-dipole radiating element (CDE) sufficiently embedded within the plurality of slots that said dielectric block operates as a dipole-fed DRA.
16. The DRA of claim 15 , wherein said dielectric block is a cross-shaped dielectric block.
17. The DRA of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of slots includes four slots aligned along a pair of orthogonal axes of the cross-shaped dielectric block.
18. The DRA of claim 17 , wherein said dielectric block has a cavity therein that surrounds a feed stalk of said CDE.
19. The DRA of claim 18 , wherein the cavity has a longitudinal axis aligned to an intersection between the pair of orthogonal axes.
20. The DRA of claim 19 , wherein said CDE comprises a pair of printed circuit board dipoles; wherein the cavity is rectangular shaped; and wherein the feed stalk of said CDE divides the cavity into four air-filled quadrants.