Quintel Technology Limited

Qinetiq Limited

Louis David Thomas

Philip Edward Haskell

David Edwin Barker

Stephen Thomas Newbold

Duncan Alan Wynn

Clive Richard Harding

Stephen Bullers

Norman Richard Nimmo-Smith

Geoffrey Raymond Bradbeer

John Allerton Spicer

A phased array antenna system with electrical tilt control incorporates a tilt controller () for splitting an input signal into three intermediate signals, two of which are delayed by variable delays Tand Trelative to the third. A corporate feed () contains splitters Sto Sand hybrids Hto Hfor processing the intermediate signals to produce drive signals for elements of an antenna array (); the drive signals are fractions and vector combinations of the intermediate signals. The tilt controller () and the corporate feed () in combination impose relative phasing on the drive signals as appropriate for phased array beam steering in response to variable delay of two intermediate signals relative to the third intermediate signal.

Phased array antenna system with electrical tilt control

A phased array antenna system with multiple beams incorporates a CDMA base station () with multiple portstofor positive and negative polarisation signals connected to portstoof an antenna assembly (). The antenna assembly () is single stack and multi-port, and it provides multiple antenna beams with polarisation diversity and different vertical angles of electrical tilt which are fixed or variable. It is suitable for 3G mobile radio using CDMA. Different antenna beams may carry groups of data channels distinguished either by different channelisation process coding or by different scrambling process coding. An operator may use two or more beams simultaneously. Control of angle of electrical tilt of antenna beams may be implemented by introducing variable relative delay between signals associated with different antenna ports A(+) and B(+) and feeding them to a signal splitting and combining network providing antenna element signals.

Phased array antenna system with multiple beam

A diversity antenna system with electrical tilt has two dual polarized, tilt adjustable antenna stacks (A) and (B) with physical separation providing space diversity. Each antenna stack (A) or (B) has two polarizations associated with independently adjustable electrical tilt angles. The electrical tilt angles of each antenna stack (A) or (B) are controlled to be equal to those of the other antenna stack to provide co-polarization or anti-polarization tilt coupling. The antenna system () may operate with multiple carrier frequencies each associated with a respective pair of polarizations of different antenna stacks (A) and (B) with co-polarization or anti-polarization tilt coupling. Antenna tilt angles are controllable so that different carrier frequencies are associated with independently adjustable angles of electrical tilt. The system may be used with groups of both contiguous and non-contiguous carrier frequencies.

Diversity antenna system with electrical tilt

An antenna system for shared operation has three antenna stacks each with two mutually orthogonal polarisations (+45 degree and &#x2212;45 degree). It is for use with multiple base stations. It combines on to a single feeder signals associated with like polarisation and with the base stations, and separates on to different feeders signals associated with different polarisations. This applies both to transmit and receive signals passing between antennas and base stations. Signal combining is achieved by band pass filtering. Each base station transmits and receives via a respective antenna stack, and so each can have an individual angle of electrical tilt. Two, three or four feeders may be used to route signals between antennas and base stations. With four feeders, transmit and receive signals and differing polarisation associations are separable, reducing intermodulation products. With two feeders, transmit and receive signals with like polarisation associations are combined.

Antenna system for shared operation

An electrically tilted antenna system with polarization diversity has a dual polarized, tilt adjustable antenna (). The antenna () has dipoles () of two orthogonal polarizations associated with independently adjustable electrical tilt angles. The tilt angles are implemented by relative delays between corporate feed input or output signals, the delays being introduced by an antenna tilt assembly (). Two signal feeders (F, F) associated with different antenna polarizations connect the antenna tilt assembly () to a base station filter assembly (): the base station filter assemblyroutes transmit signals from base stations (BS, BS) to different antenna polarizations via respective feeders (F, F) and the antenna tilt assembly (). This assembly also divides receive signals from feeders (F, F) between both base stations (BS, BS). Each antenna polarization is associated with transmit and receive signals of a respective base station (BSor BS) and with a polarization diversity signal of the other base station (BSor BS). The antenna system may be used with two or more base stations operating with contiguous frequencies.

Electrically tilted antenna system with polarisation diversity

An antenna system for sharing of operation employs contiguous transmit frequencies. Transmit frequencies are separated into non-contiguous sub-groups isolated from one another by filters(+) and(&#x2212;) associated with positive and negative polarization. Received frequencies are filtered and split into five signals for input to base station receive ports. Non-contiguous transmit frequency sub-groups are combined by a quadrature hybridand pass with 90 degree relative phase shift to mutually orthogonal antenna stack ports P(+) and P(&#x2212;) associated with orthogonally polarized sets of antenna elements AS(+) and AS(&#x2212;): the ports P(+) and P(&#x2212;) are isolated from one another by the hybrid. The 90 degree phase shift results in one transmit subgroup being radiated with left hand circular polarization and the other transmit subgroup being radiated with right hand circular polarization. Changing the relative phase shift changes the radiated polarization to linear or elliptical, and signal amplitude weighting provides control of antenna beam polarization direction.

Antenna system for sharing of operation

A phased array antenna system with controllable electrical tilt generates two signals Vand Vwith variable relative delay therebetween. The signals are converted into antenna element drive signals by a power distribution network. The network splits each of the two signals Vand Vinto three signal components. Pairs of components of different signals are input respective hybrid coupling devices (hybrids), which provide vector sums and differences of their inputs and act as phase-to-power converters. Their outputs are distributed between further hybrids, which act as power-to-phase converters and provide antenna element drive signals with phase varying both with element array position and also with the variable relative delay between the two signals Vand VAntenna electrical tilt is therefore controllable by altering a single relative delay.

Phased array antenna systems with controllable electrical tilt

An antenna system for sharing of operation employs contiguous transmit frequencies. Transmit frequencies are separated into non-contiguous sub-groups isolated from one another by filters(+) and(&#x2212;) associated with positive and negative polarisation. Received frequencies are filtered and split into five signals for input to base station receive ports. Non-contiguous transmit frequency sub-groups are combined by a quadrature hybridand pass with 90 degree relative phase shift to mutually orthogonal antenna stack ports P(+) and P(&#x2212;) associated with orthogonally polarised sets of antenna elements AS(+) and AS(&#x2212;): the ports P(+) and P(&#x2212;) are isolated from one another by the hybrid. The 90 degree phase shift results in one transmit subgroup being radiated with left hand circular polarisation and the other transmit subgroup being radiated with right hand circular polarisation. Changing the relative phase shift changes the radiated polarisation to linear or elliptical, and signal amplitude weighting provides control of antenna beam polarisation direction.

Antenna system

An antenna system for use in transmitting and/or receiving at least two signals, whereby a first one of said signals is generated in a first operator frequency band by a first operator and a second one of said signals is generated in a second operator frequency band by a second operator wherein the antenna system comprises an antenna assembly having an adjustable angle of electrical tilt, and including a plurality of antenna elements (E1&#x2013;En) for transmitting and/or receiving said signals, wherein the antenna elements are mounted upon an antenna carrier and are arranged in at least two sub-arrays, each sub-array including one or more of said elements, a control means for controlling electrically the phase of signals transmitted and/or received by said antenna assembly, thereby to control the angle of electrical tilt of said antenna assembly and a combiner means for enabling said antenna assembly to transmit and/or receive substantially simultaneously a first one of said signals at a first angle of electrical tilt and a second one of said signals at a second angle of electrical tilt.

An antenna system comprises an antenna assembly having an angle of electrical tilt and a plurality of antenna elements each arranged to receive signals through a respective transmission line. Each transmission line is shortened or lengthened by moving a coupling link along two transmission line parts which the link couples: this adjusts signal phase supplied to each antenna element individually, and controls the angle of electrical tilt of the antenna assembly.

Apparatus for steering an antenna system

A transmit network for cellular mobile radio networks incorporates tow transmit multiplexers (ABE) and (CD): the first transmit multiplexerABE receives a group of output signals from three transmitters (A,B andE), and filters them in respective band-pass filters (A,B andE); the second transmit multiplexer (CD) receives a group of output signals from two further transmitters (C andD), and filters them in respective band-pass filters (C andD). The transmit frequencies in each signal group are non-adjacent, which improves isolation between transmitters provided by the filters (). Filtered output signals from respective band-pass filters () are combined at filter outputs (X andY) from which signals are combined in a combiner () providing a degree of isolation between these outputs and enabling the signals to be combined with minimal distortion. Signals from the combiner () are fed via a duplexer to a transmit/receive antenna.

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Malvern, United Kingdom

Louis David Thomas