100 be interpreted as having any particular dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated. For example, other embodiments of example modular antenna 100 may have more or less portions than the first portion 102, the second portion 104, and the third portion 106.

In embodiments, the first vertical column 102A of the first set of antenna elements are mounted to transmit the first frequency band forwardly from a first reflector (e.g., the first reflector being positioned behind the “X” denoting the antenna elements), the second set of antenna elements are mounted to transmit the second frequency band forwardly from a second reflector, the third set of antenna elements are mounted to transmit the third frequency band forwardly from a third reflector, the fourth set of antenna elements are mounted to transmit the fourth frequency band forwardly from a fourth reflector, and the fifth set of antenna elements are mounted to transmit the fifth frequency band forwardly from a fifth reflector, such that each of the frequencies are transmitted toward the same direction (e.g., scanning away from a boresight direction of the antenna elements in an azimuth plane). In embodiments, the first set of antenna elements are each equidistance apart, the second set of antenna elements are each equidistance apart, the third set of antenna elements are each equidistance apart, the fourth set of antenna elements are each equidistance apart, and the fifth set of antenna elements are each equidistance apart.

In some embodiments, one or more of the fifth set of antenna elements for millimeter wave transmissions may be micro-strip patch antennas, horn antennas (e.g., for directional beamforming), another type of antenna element, or one or more combinations thereof. As one non-limiting example, an antenna element of the first vertical column 102A may be configured to transmit the first frequency band (e.g., a low-band frequency) by generating two antenna beams corresponding to a particular sector in the azimuth plane (e.g., one half wavelength having a polarization of +90 degrees and the other half polarization of −90 degrees for a 180 degree sector in the azimuth plane). In some embodiments, the fourth set of antenna elements (e.g., for high-band frequency 3100 MHz or 3800 MHz) having the same polarizations are excited simultaneously, and the fifth set of antenna elements (e.g., for millimeter wave frequency) having the same polarizations are excited simultaneously.

In embodiments, each of the vertical columns (e.g., the first vertical column 102A, the second vertical column 102B, the third vertical column 102C, the fourth vertical column 104A, and the fifth vertical column 106A) can be mounted on individual pole structures, such that each of the five individual pole structures are part of the modular antenna. In some embodiments, the individual pole structures of each of the first vertical column 102A, the second vertical column 102B, the third vertical column 102C, the fourth vertical column 104A, and the fifth vertical column 106A can be equidistant apart; or the distance between the pole structure of the first vertical column 102A and the pole structure of the second vertical column 102B can be a different distance than the distance between the pole structure of the fourth vertical column 104A and the pole structure of the fifth vertical column 106A, wherein each of the antenna elements of the portions 102, 104, and 106 are all facing the same direction. In some embodiments, the first portion 102, the second portion 104, and the third portion can be equidistant apart, or the distance between the first portion 102 and the second portion 104 can be a different distance than the distance between the second portion 104 and the third portion 106, wherein each of the antenna elements of the portions 102, 104, and 106 are all facing the same direction.

In other embodiments of example modular antenna 100, the pole structure of the fourth vertical column 104A may be adjacent to the pole structure of the second vertical column 102B, and the pole structure of the third vertical column 102C may be adjacent to the pole of the first vertical column 102A. In embodiments, based on the stacking of the antenna elements of each column (e.g., the lower number of antenna elements of the first vertical column 102A relative to the higher number of antenna elements of the second vertical column, the lower number of the antenna elements of the second vertical column 102B relative to the antenna elements in the third vertical column 102C, and so on), as illustrated in FIG. 1, the antenna elements of each vertical column are horizontally offset from the other respective antenna elements in the other vertical columns, such that the antenna elements of a vertical column are not directly aligned along a vertical axis (e.g., thereby not resulting in frequency band isolation or the reduction of scattering or interferences from other vertical columns). In embodiments, the gain corresponding to the antenna elements associated with the first vertical column 102A, the second vertical column 102B, the third vertical column 102C, the fourth vertical column 104A, and the fifth vertical column 106A can be identical or nearly identical.

In some embodiments, one or more of the dedicated reflectors of the vertical columns can be used to focus or direct a radiation pattern of the modular antenna. In some embodiments, one or more of the dedicated reflectors can include one or more of the following materials: metal (e.g., aluminum, steel), dielectric material (e.g., non-metallic material including insulating material), a mesh including a grid of metal or dielectric material, composite materials (e.g., carbon fiber composites), fiber glass, other types of reflector material, or one or more combinations thereof. In some embodiments, each of the dedicated reflectors are the same size for each of the vertical columns. In other embodiments, one or more of the vertical columns has a different sized dedicated reflector (e.g., the fifth vertical column 106A having a different size or material than the other vertical columns).

In embodiments, each of the vertical columns can have two of their own radio frequency ports, each of which may be connected via a feed network. In some embodiments, the feed network may include a beamforming network in response to radio frequency signal inputs at each of the two radio frequency ports on each of the vertical columns. The beamforming networks can be used for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, for instance, a spatial stream for a 2×2 MIMO communication system (wherein the number of transmit chains (antennas) and the total number of receive chains (antennas) correspond to the “2×2”). In some embodiments, the two ports of the fifth vertical column 106A may have low loss characteristics a millimeter wave frequencies, impedance matching based on the dedicated reflector of the fifth vertical column 106A and the transmission lines (e.g., 50 ohms or 75 ohms), high isolation between the two ports or between ports of the other vertical columns, one or more specialized connectors (e.g., 2.92 mm connectors or 2.4 mm connectors), particular precisions components (e.g., circulators, isolators, attenuators, power dividers), other types of millimeter wave port characteristics, or one or more combinations thereof.

Each of the first vertical column 102A, the second vertical column 102B, the third vertical column 102C, the fourth vertical column 104A, and the fifth vertical column 106A can have their own individual printed circuit board that is not connected (i.e., physically separate) with the other vertical columns. In some embodiments, each of the vertical columns have different types of printed circuit boards. In other embodiments, one or more of the vertical columns have a different printed circuit board than another one of the vertical columns. In some embodiments, one or more of the vertical columns are connected to one or more other vertical columns via a backplane to form a panel.

In some embodiments, the printed circuit board (PCB) of the fifth vertical column 106A of the fifth set of antenna elements for millimeter wave transmissions may include one or more of the following materials: polytetrafluoroethylene, a ceramic base, a material other than glass fiber in the central portion, micro-strip transmission lines, coplanar waveguides, slot lines, other types of PCB materials for millimeter waves, or one or more combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the PCB for the fifth set of antenna elements for millimeter wave transmissions may be a multilayer PCB, a flexible PCB, a hybrid PCB (e.g., combination of material layers with varied dielectric constants), an integrated antenna package PCB, another type of PCB, or one or more combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the modular antenna 100 can provide one or more services (e.g., an Internet browsing service, a Wi-Fi messaging service, Voice over IP, gaming, High Frequency Trading, a message service, SMS messages, MMS messages, an emergency medical service). In some embodiments, the modular antenna 100 can perform one or more of the following functions: transfer user data, radio channel ciphering, radio channel deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum messages, non-access stratum node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service, subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management, paging, positioning, beamforming (e.g., 2×2 MIMO communications), delivery of a warning message, another type of modular antenna functionality, or one or more combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the modular antenna 100 can include a relay, a small cell (e.g., a microcell, a picocell, a femtocell), a macro base station, gNB, eNB, a 6G network component, another type of base station component, or one or more combinations thereof.

Turning now to FIG. 2, example modular antenna 200 is illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments disclosed herein. At a high level, the example modular antenna 200 comprises a first portion 202, a second portion 204, a third portion 206, a fourth portion 208, and a fifth portion 210, each comprising a plurality of antenna elements (each represented by an “X”) for transmitting a plurality of frequency bands (e.g., including millimeter waves) in a particular direction (e.g., for reception by one or more user devices).

The first portion 202 has a first set of antenna elements configured to transmit one or more millimeter wave frequency bands (e.g., forty four antenna element pairs stacked within four columns, wherein an X represents two half wavelength polarizations) configured to transmit a first frequency band (e.g., millimeter wave frequencies). The second portion 204 has a second set of antenna elements configured to transmit one or more frequency bands (e.g., 3100 or 3800 MHz) having a lower frequency band than the one or more millimeter wave frequency bands, wherein the second portion 204 surrounds the first portion 202, and wherein a number of the first set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the second set of antenna elements.

The third portion 206 has a third set of antenna elements configured to transmit one or more frequency bands (e.g., 2100 MHz) having a lower frequency band than the second frequency band of the second portion 204, wherein the third portion 206 surrounds the second portion 204, and wherein a number of the second set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the third set of antenna elements. The fourth portion 208 has a fourth set of antenna elements configured to transmit one or more frequency bands (e.g., 1900 MHz) having a lower frequency band than the third frequency band of the third portion 206, wherein the fourth portion 208 surrounds the third portion 206, and wherein a number of the third set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the fourth set of antenna elements.

The fifth portion 210 has a fifth set of antenna elements configured to transmit one or more frequency bands (e.g., 600 or 700 MHz) having a lower frequency band than the fourth frequency band of the fourth portion 208, wherein the fifth portion 210 surrounds the fourth portion 208, and wherein a number of the fourth set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the fifth set of antenna elements.

Example modular antenna 200 is but one example of a suitable environment for the technology and techniques disclosed herein, and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the modular antenna 200 be interpreted as having any particular dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated. For example, other embodiments of example modular antenna 200 may have more or less portions than the first portion 202, second portion 204, third portion 206, fourth portion 208, and fifth portion 210.

In embodiments, the first portion 202 has the first set of antenna elements mounted to transmit the first frequency band forwardly from a first reflector (e.g., the first reflector being positioned behind the “X” denoting the antenna elements), the second portion 204 has the second set of antenna elements mounted to transmit the second frequency band forwardly from a second reflector, the third portion 206 has the third set of antenna elements mounted to transmit the third frequency band forwardly from a third reflector, the fourth portion 208 has the fourth set of antenna elements mounted to transmit the fourth frequency band forwardly from a fourth reflector, and the fifth portion 210 has the fifth set of antenna elements mounted to transmit the fifth frequency band forwardly from a fifth reflector, such that each of the frequencies are transmitted toward the same direction (e.g., scanning away from a boresight direction of the antenna elements in an azimuth plane). In some embodiments, one or more of the dedicated reflectors of each portion can be used to focus or direct a radiation pattern of the modular antenna 200. In some embodiments, one or more of the dedicated reflectors can include one or more of the following materials: metal (e.g., aluminum, steel), dielectric material (e.g., non-metallic material including insulating material), a mesh including a grid of metal or dielectric material, composite materials (e.g., carbon fiber composites), fiber glass, other types of reflector material, or one or more combinations thereof.

In embodiments, the distance between the first portion 202 and the second portion 204 is equal to the distance between the second portion 204 and the third portion 206. Continuing the example, in some embodiments, this distance can be equivalent to the distance between the third portion 206 and the fourth portion 208. Continuing the example, in some embodiments, this distance can also be equivalent to the distance between the fourth portion 208 and the fifth portion 210. In other embodiments, a distance between one or more of the first portion 202 and second portion 204, the second portion 204 and third portion 206, the third portion 206 and fourth portion 208, and fourth portion 208 and fifth portion 210 may be different than one or more of another one of these distances.

In some embodiments, one or more of the first set of antenna elements for millimeter wave transmissions may be micro-strip patch antennas, horn antennas (e.g., for directional beamforming), another type of antenna element, or one or more combinations thereof. As one non-limiting example, an antenna element of the fifth portion 210 configured to transmit the fifth frequency band (e.g., a low-band frequency) by generating two antenna beams corresponding to a particular sector in the azimuth plane. In some embodiments, the second set of antenna elements (e.g., for high-band frequency 3100 MHz or 3800 MHz) that have the same polarizations are excited simultaneously, and the first set of antenna elements (e.g., for millimeter wave frequency) that have the same polarizations are also excited simultaneously. In some embodiments, each set of antenna elements that have the same polarizations may be excited simultaneously. In some embodiments, each of the antenna elements of FIG. 2 are configured to transmit in the same direction.

In embodiments, based on the stacking of the antenna elements of each portion (e.g., the lower number of antenna elements of the fifth portion 210 relative to the higher number of antenna elements of the fourth portion 208, the lower number of the antenna elements of the fourth portion 208 relative to the antenna elements in the third portion 206, and so on), as illustrated in FIG. 2, the antenna elements of each portion are either horizontally or vertically offset from the other respective antenna elements in the other portions, such that the antenna elements of modular antenna 200 are not directly aligned along a vertical or horizontal axis (e.g., thereby not resulting in frequency band isolation or the reduction of scattering or interferences from other portions). In embodiments, the gain corresponding to the antenna elements associated with each of the five portions can be identical or nearly identical.

In embodiments, each of the portions 202, 204, 206, 208, and 210 can have two of their own radio frequency ports, each of which may be connected via a feed network. In some embodiments, the feed network may include a beamforming network in response to radio frequency signal inputs at each of the two radio frequency ports on each of the portions. The beamforming networks can be used for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, for instance, a spatial stream for a 2×2 MIMO communication system (wherein the number of transmit chains (antennas) and the total number of receive chains (antennas) correspond to the “2×2”). In some embodiments, the two ports of the first portion 202 may have low loss characteristics a millimeter wave frequencies, impedance matching based on the dedicated reflector and the transmission lines (e.g., 50 ohms or 75 ohms), high isolation between the two ports or between ports of the other portions, one or more specialized connectors (e.g., 2.92 mm connectors or 2.4 mm connectors), particular precisions components (e.g., circulators, isolators, attenuators, power dividers), other types of millimeter wave port characteristics, or one or more combinations thereof.

Each of the portions 202, 204, 206, 208, and 210 can have their own individual printed circuit board that is not connected (i.e., physically separate) with the other portions. In some embodiments, each of the portions have different types of printed circuit boards. In other embodiments, one or more of the portions have a different printed circuit board than another one of the portions. In some embodiments, one or more of the portions are connected to one or more other portions via a backplane to form a panel.

In some embodiments, the printed circuit board (PCB) of the first portion 202 of the first set of antenna elements for millimeter wave transmissions may include one or more of the following materials: polytetrafluoroethylene, a ceramic base, a material other than glass fiber in the central portion, micro-strip transmission lines, coplanar waveguides, slot lines, other types of PCB materials for millimeter waves, or one or more combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the PCB for the first set of antenna elements for millimeter wave transmissions may be a multilayer PCB, a flexible PCB, a hybrid PCB (e.g., combination of material layers with varied dielectric constants), an integrated antenna package PCB, another type of PCB, or one or more combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the modular antenna 200 can provide one or more services (e.g., an Internet browsing service, a Wi-Fi messaging service, Voice over IP, gaming, High Frequency Trading, a message service, SMS messages, MMS messages, an emergency medical service). In some embodiments, the modular antenna 200 can perform one or more of the following functions: transfer user data, radio channel ciphering, radio channel deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum messages, non-access stratum node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service, subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management, paging, positioning, beamforming (e.g., 2×2 MIMO communications), delivery of a warning message, another type of modular antenna functionality, or one or more combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the modular antenna 200 can include a relay, a small cell (e.g., a microcell, a picocell, a femtocell), a macro base station, gNB, eNB, a 6G network component, another type of base station component, or one or more combinations thereof.

Example Flowcharts

Having described the example embodiments discussed above, an example flowchart is described below with respect to FIG. 3. Example flowchart 300 begins at step 302 with installing a first portion of a first set of antenna elements configured to transmit a first frequency band. In some embodiments, the first portion includes a first vertical column of the first set of antenna elements configured to transmit the first frequency band (e.g., a low-band frequency), such that the first set of antenna elements includes at least one set of two antenna elements stacked above another pair of antenna elements. In some embodiments, the first set of antenna elements are configured to transmit the first frequency band (e.g., a low-band frequency) by generating two antenna beams corresponding to a particular sector in the azimuth plane (e.g., one half wavelength having a polarization of +90 degrees and the other half polarization of −90 degrees for a 180 degree sector (or less) in the azimuth plane).

In other embodiments, step 302 begins with installing a first portion of a first set of antenna elements configured to transmit millimeter waves, such that at step 304, a second portion of a second set of antenna elements is installed around the first set of antenna elements (e.g., such that the second portion surrounds the first portion), wherein the second set of antenna elements are configured to transmit one or more frequency bands having a lower frequency band (e.g., a high-band frequency) than the one or more millimeter wave frequency bands, such that the number of the first set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the second set of antenna elements (e.g., such as the example configuration of FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the modular antenna is configured for dual stream multiple-input multiple-out 2×2 communications (e.g., 2×2 MIMO communications via the first set of antenna elements and the second set of antenna elements).

Continuing the example with respect to the vertical column configuration for the first set of antenna elements, at step 304, a second portion of a second set of antenna elements in a second vertical column is installed, wherein the second set of antenna elements are configured to transmit one or more frequency bands having a higher frequency band (e.g., a mid-band frequency, a high-band frequency) than the first vertical column, such that the number of the first set of antenna elements is smaller than the number of the second set of antenna elements (e.g., such as the example configuration of FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the second vertical column can have eight, sixteen, or thirty two antenna elements. In embodiments, the second set of antenna elements includes pairs of antenna elements stacked above another pair of antenna elements (e.g., a first pair stacked above a second pair, the second pair stacked above a third pair, the third pair stacked above a fourth pair, etc.).

At step 306, a third portion of a third set of antenna elements in a third vertical column is installed, wherein the third set of antenna elements are configured to transmit one or more frequency bands having a higher frequency band (e.g., millimeter waves) than the second vertical column, such that the number of the third set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the second set of antenna elements (e.g., such as the example configuration of FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the third vertical column can have sixty four antenna elements. In embodiments, the third set of antenna elements includes pairs of antenna elements stacked above another pair of antenna elements (e.g., a first pair stacked above a second pair, the second pair stacked above a third pair, the third pair stacked above a fourth pair, etc.).

In the alternative embodiment, at step 306, the third portion of the third set of antenna elements is installed around the second set of antenna elements (e.g., such that the third portion surrounds the second portion), wherein the third set of antenna elements are configured to transmit one or more frequency bands having a lower frequency band (e.g., a low-band frequency) than the second frequency band of the second set of antenna elements, such that the number of the second set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the third set of antenna elements (e.g., such as the example configuration of FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the modular antenna is configured for dual stream multiple-input multiple-out 2×2 communications (e.g., 2×2 MIMO communications via the second set of antenna elements and the third set of antenna elements, or the first set of antenna elements and the third set of antenna elements).

In some embodiments, each of the third portion, the second portion, and the first portion have an individual dedicated reflector. In some embodiments, the antenna elements of each of the third portion, the second portion, and the first portion are centered on each of their respective dedicated reflectors, wherein each of the antenna element pairs on each portion is vertically aligned. In some embodiments, each of the antenna elements of the modular antenna have the same gain (or approximately the same gain). In some embodiments, a distance between the first portion and the second portion of the modular antenna is a different distance than the distance between the second portion and the third portion. In other embodiments, the distance between the first portion and the second portion of the modular antenna is the same distance as the distance between the second portion and the third portion. In some embodiments, each of the third portion, the second portion, and the first portion have separate and unconnected printed circuit boards.

Example flowchart 300 is but one example of a suitable flowchart for the technology and techniques disclosed herein, and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the flowchart 300 be interpreted as having any particular dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of blocks illustrated. For example, other embodiments of flowchart 300 may begin with the installation of the third portion (e.g., as described via step 306) or may begin with the installation of the second portion.

Example flowchart 400 of FIG. 4 begins at step 402 with transmitting a first frequency from a first set of antenna elements of a first portion of a modular antenna. In some embodiments, the first portion is a single vertical column of stacked antenna element pairs for the transmission of low-band or mid-band frequencies. In other embodiments, the first portion is a plurality of vertical columns of stacked antenna element pairs (e.g., four vertically stacked antenna-element-paired columns having sixteen antenna elements per column, such as illustrated in FIG. 2) for the transmission of millimeter waves.

At step 404, a second frequency is transmitted from a second set of antenna elements of a second portion of the modular antenna. In some embodiments, the second portion is a single vertical column of stacked antenna element pairs for the transmission of low-band or mid-band frequencies. In this example embodiment, the number of the second set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the first set of antenna elements. In other embodiments, the second portion is positioned around the first set of antenna elements, such that at least two vertically stacked antenna element pairs of the second set of antenna elements surround two sides of the first set of antenna elements, and such that at least two horizontally stacked pairs of antenna elements of the second set of antenna elements surround the other two sides of the first set of antenna elements. In this embodiment, the number of the second set of antenna elements is smaller than the number of the first set of antenna elements, and the second frequency band transmitted by the second set of antenna elements is a lower frequency than the first frequency band transmitted by the first set of antenna elements.

At step 406, a third frequency from a third set of antenna elements of a third portion of the modular antenna is transmitted. In one example embodiment, the third portion is a single vertical column of stacked antenna element pairs for the transmission of millimeter wave frequencies. In this example embodiment, the number of the third set of antenna elements is larger than the number of the second set of antenna elements, and the second frequency band transmitted by the second set of antenna elements is a lower frequency than the third frequency band transmitted by the third set of antenna elements. In other embodiments, the third portion is positioned around the second set of antenna elements, such that at least two vertically stacked antenna element pairs of the third set of antenna elements surround two sides of the second set of antenna elements, and such that at least two horizontally stacked pairs of antenna elements of the third set of antenna elements surround the other two sides of the second set of antenna elements. In this embodiment, the number of the third set of antenna elements is smaller than the number of the second set of antenna elements, and the third frequency band transmitted by the third set of antenna elements is a lower frequency than the second frequency band transmitted by the second set of antenna elements.