Antenna Solutions

Design and Manufacturing

Outline

Antenna Theory and Main Technical Indicators

Antenna Products and Applications

Antenna Design and Manufacturing

Base Station Antenna

Base Station Antenna

Horizontal Plane
Antenna Beamwidth is established by the angle measurement between the points 3dB down from the beam peak

In a sector antenna, the -10

dB points are important as the cross-over points with

the adjacent sector, and

should ideally be at the +/60 degrees for the 120 degree sector

Base Station Antenna

Vertical Plane
Since Horizontal Plane Beamwidth remains constant for sector performance, Vertical Plane Beamwidth must be changed in order to

increase gain
As more elements are added and the antenna is

lengthened, the Vertical

Plane Beamwidth narrows and the gain increases

Antenna Critical Features

Beam Tilting Beam tilting is very important to network optimization, it affects the spectral efficiency, coverage, capacity and interference of the network Mechanical Downtilt When an antenna is mechanically tilted, its radiation characteristics do not change, but the coverage

on the ground is affected. Mechanically down tilting an antenna will cause distortion on the coverage
footprint and increase the sector overlapping

0 6 8 10

-90

+90

10

Antenna Critical Features

Electrical Downtilt

With electrical downtilt, the radiation characteristics of the antenna are changed. The effect to the
radiation pattern can be imagined as an umbrella as it is being slowly closed down. Rosenberger offers both manually and remotely Adjustable Electrical Tilt (AET) antennas: --- Manual electrical downtilt (adjusted by a knob) --- AISG 1.1 and 2.0 compliant Remote electrical downtilt
0 0 6 8 10

-90

+90

10

Antenna Critical Features

Front to Back Ratio
Front-to-Back can be defined in many different
ways, which can make direct comparison difficult and misleading

Many suppliers report only the Co-Polarized

ratio at 180 degrees This method reports only the difference between the peak of the pattern at 0 degrees and the level of the pattern at 180 degrees, for the co-polarized signal

This method gives the best possible value but

does not give a meaningful value for determination of site interference

Antenna Critical Features

Total Power Front to Back
Rosenberger adopts the more stringent definition (referred to as Total Power Front-toBack ratio) when specifying Front-to-Back ratio for antennas. This is the same definition adopted by the SAAB measurement

laboratory in Sweden
This method reports the maximum level (using vector addition of both the co-polar and cross-

polar levels) in the 60backward sector

(18030) of the horizontal plane and compares it to the peak of the main beam

Antenna Critical Features

Some manufacturers specify Front-to-Back ratio as a simple 0 and 180 power ratio.

Antenna Critical Features

Example of other manufacturers specifying Total Power Front-to-Back ratio in the 60backward sector (18030)

Antenna Critical Features

Other manufacturers specify Front-to-Back ratio without any

explanation of the method used to arrive at the number.

Antenna Critical Features

Antenna Critical Features

Upper Sidelobe Suppression
Upper Sidelobe Suppression (USLS): USLS can help to minimize nearby cell interference, most importantly at mid tilt angles

- Lowering the upper sidelobes will always reduce antenna gain 15-17 dB USLS is recommended as any further reduction will decrease gain significantly

Main Technical Indicators

1.) Passive Intermodulation
In most systems the 3rd Harmonic (IM3) will fall on the Rx band and its high magnitude can easily overshadow the actual Rx signals or occupy one or more channels making them unavailable for traffic. But, just as importantly to the manufacturer and end user, PIM is a very good indicator of the quality of the antenna. Good, consistent PIM performance indicates a proper design, stable manufacturing process, and quality materials

Main Technical Indicators

Passive Intermodulation
Each and every antenna is tested for PIM. Results are recorded by serial number

PIM equipment: Rosenberger IM-1822-DCS-TD-SCDMA-UMTS Power Amplifier IM-FI-800-RT IM-FI-900-RT IM-FI-1800-RT IM-FI-1900-RT IM-FI-2000-RT IM-FI-2600-RT

Main Technical Indicators

2.) VSWR
An important system parameter as it relates to reflected power, but it is also a good indicator of manufacturing quality. Bad solder joints, open or shorted junctions, will be indicated by poor VSWR

3.) Isolation
Similarly, isolation is an important system parameter for diversity performance, but it is also a good indicator of manufacturing quality. An antenna with incorrect phase or amplitude distribution will show a degraded isolation

Every antenna is tested for VSWR and Isolation. Results are recorded by serial number

Main Technical Indicators

4.) Radiation Patterns
Radiation patterns measure many important parameters of antenna performance including Gain, Beamwidth, Front to Back, Upper Sidelobes and CrossPolarization. Rosenberger maintains two fully automated pattern test ranges. During production runs, a sample quantity is selected by the Quality Control Group and full pattern data is recorded on those samples.

Main Technical Indicators

Near-Field Testing
Rosenberger Near-Field Testing Roadmap

- Satimo SG128 - Spherical range completion in 2013 - 0.4-6.0 GHz frequency range - most time efficient range possible - broadband multiple probe technology - environmentally controlled enclosed chamber - 360 degree spherical pattern, directivity and gain

-Rosenberger Near-Field/Probe System - currently under development in the US - small space requirement, versatile usage - designed for fast iterative antenna design - probe of elevation pattern and sidelobes in minutes - full cylindrical near-field with no reconfiguration

Outline

Antenna Theory and Main Technical Indicators

Antenna Products and Applications

Antenna Design and Manufacturing

Antenna Products
Base Station Antenna Products

Dual Band

Multi-Port

TD-LTE Smart Antenna

Triple Band

Single Broadband

High Gain Quad Port

Antenna Products
Indoor Antenna Products

Vertical Polarization

Directional LTE/MIMO

Omni LTE/MIMO

Antenna Products

Antenna Products
Introduction to LTE / MIMO

What is LTE

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

OFMD

Antenna Products
Introduction to LTE / MIMO

What is MIMO

Multiple Input / Multiple Output

MIMO Downlink modes:
1. 2. Tx Diversity Spatial Multiplexing -Open-loop -Closed-loop -Single-user -Multi-user Beamforming

3.

Antenna Products
Introduction to LTE / MIMO

What is MIMO Tx Diversity

Improves Multipath call drops Increases Reliability / Coverage Spatial or Polarization Diversity
abcd
(Data ) abcd abcd

abcd
abcd abcd

Fading Interference Example

Antenna Products
Introduction to LTE / MIMO

What is MIMO

Spatial Multiplexing
Increases User Throughput Uses/Requires Multipath Spatial and/or Polarization Diversity Linear increase of data rate with increase in the number of antennas
ac ac bd

abcd
(Data )

abcd bd bd ac

Antenna Products
Introduction to LTE / MIMO

What is MIMO Beamforming

Increases Coverage / Cell Capacity Applicable mainly to TDD Normally Requires Minimum 4 Tx Antennas/Columns
abcd abcd

abcd
(Data )

abcd

* Beamforming is mainly applicable to Time Division Duplex (TDD) modulation (Aeroflex, Beamforming and MIMO, March 24, 2011)

Antenna Products
Introduction to LTE / MIMO

What is MIMO
Velocity High
Beam Switching & OL Tx DIV Beam Switching & Spatial Multiplexing

Real World Example: 4 X 2 MIMO using Quad X-Pol Tx Array

Exploits a combination of:

Beam Switching (continuous use of polarization beam switching) Open Loop Tx Diversity (for high velocity) Closed Loop Tx Diversity (for low velocity and poor channel quality) Spatial Multiplexing (for low velocity and good channel quality)

Beam Switching & CL Tx DIV

Low Low

SNR High

Advanced Antenna LTE

Base Station LTE/MIMO Antenna

Advanced Antenna LTE

Base Station LTE/MIMO Antenna

Advanced Antenna LTE

Base Station LTE/MIMO Antenna

Internal ACU

Internal ACU
Internal control for electrical downtilt Fully compatible AISG 1.1/AISG 2.0 High quality components for reliability Manual adjustment possible through external hand knob

Advanced Antenna LTE/MIMO

Indoor LTE/MIMO Antenna

Advanced Antenna TD-LTE

Base Station TD-LTE/MIMO Antenna

Outline

Antenna Theory and Main Technical Indicators

Antenna Products and Applications

Antenna Design and Manufacturing

Antenna Design - Overview

Shanghai

Oregon

Antenna Design - Overview

Nearly 50 Antenna Engineering professionals working on antenna and related products Base Station Antennas

Indoor Antennas Microwave Antennas Accessory Antennas GPS

AISG Remote Tilt Products

Antenna Design
Element Design
Wideband and High Gain Radiating Element Design Different element designs for different applications Cast aluminum / Tin plated radiating elements for both low and high band multi-band antennas, as well as many single band designs

Antenna Design
Cast Elements
Aluminum Die Cast Elements Tin plated for solderability and corrosion Capacitive feed structure Isolated from reflector

Antenna Design
Feed Network
Advanced Hybrid feed network printed circuit boards, and coaxial cables, where appropriate, to maximize pattern configurability and minimize transmission losses and cross coupling. Hybrid coax cable / PCB feed network used for high band and multi band antennas. PCBs used to accurately control the amplitude and Phase distribution. Exclusive use of Habia coaxial cable.

High quality low PIM circuit board splitters / circuit lines masked for corrosion protection.

Antenna Design
Phase Shifters Benefits
Modular design, each phase shifter positioned and operated independently, offers high design flexibility Low cross coupling, gives better pattern control Power dividers and phase shifters are separated from each other, allow flexible phase and amplitude tapering, gives better pattern control Reduced length of transmission line

Distributed design Rosenberger

Concentrative design

Antenna Design
Phase Shifters
Rosenberger patent pending Air Stripline
design to minimize transmission loss Wideband transmission line based design

to provide true time delay, with little

impedance variation over a wide frequency range Simple construction minimizes production complications and thus increases reliability, repeatability and productivity

Very reliable non-contact design minimizes

mechanical failure and PIM generation

Antenna Design
Radome
Radomes are offered in two materials to meet the customer requirements. UPVC radomes for low cost. Fiberglass radomes for high strength and durability.

End Caps
End caps are made from poly propylene with 45% glass fiber content.

Designed to allow drainage of any condensed moisture.

Antenna Design
Reflector
Reflectors are made exclusively from 5052-H24 Aluminum

Reflector Supports
Reflector supports are made from High Strength Nylon 66. They are designed to allow no water intrusion and isolate the mounting hardware for PIM performance

Antenna Design
Mounting Brackets
Mounting brackets are made from Q235 Low Carbon Steel / Zinc Galvanized. Bracket to antenna hardware is stainless steel. Other mounting hardware is Zinc Galvanized.

Antenna Manufacturing

Antenna Manufacturing

Automated inductive soldering of connectors

All fastener torque controlled with calibrated screw drivers

Antenna Manufacturing
Cleaning
Antennas are thoroughly cleaned using air and alcohol before they are closed and sealed

Automatic Sealant Application Robot

Sealing
End caps and all mounting point are sealed with SS611 Silicone Weather-Proofing Sealant

Antenna Manufacturing

Automated Data Collection of

VSWR, Isolation and PIM

Thank you

chodnefield@rosenbergerap.com