CN117638519A - Base station antenna - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a base station antenna comprising: a longitudinally extending reflector structure comprising a plurality of reflectors arranged in a circumferential direction; a first set of first band radiating elements configured for generating a first omnidirectional pattern, wherein the first set of first band radiating elements comprises a plurality of columns of first band radiating elements, each first band radiating element in the first column of the first set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

Description

Base station antenna

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of radio communications, and more particularly, to a base station antenna.

Background

Cellular communication systems are well known in the art. In a typical cellular communication system, a geographic area is divided into a series of areas, which are referred to as "cells," and each cell is served by a base station. A base station may include baseband equipment, radio equipment, and antennas configured to provide two-way radio frequency ("RF") communications with fixed and mobile registered users ("users") located throughout a cell. Antennas are typically mounted on towers, wherein the radiation beam generated by each antenna (the "antenna beam") is directed outwards. Typically, a base station antenna comprises one or more phased array radiating elements, wherein the radiating elements are arranged in one or more vertical columns when the antenna is mounted for use. Here, "vertical" refers to a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by a horizontal line.

In cellular base stations, such as so-called "small cell" cellular base stations, omni-directional antennas are widely used due to their small size and advantages in close range communications. Furthermore, because an omni-directional antenna can provide full 360 degree coverage in a horizontal "azimuth" plane, the omni-directional antenna can be used to compensate for blind angles where the directional antenna is not covered.

For omni-directional antennas, omni-directional coverage performance parameters, such as roundness of the omni-directional pattern in the horizontal "azimuth" plane, are key specifications. In the prior art, taking the base station antenna 100 with six sectors as shown in fig. 1a and 1b as an example, if one omni-directional pattern is formed with the six sectors, the omni-directional pattern has good roundness, but the base station antenna 100 has only 2T2R capability, which is not sufficient. However, if a first omni-directional pattern is formed using three of the sectors and a second omni-directional pattern is formed using the other three sectors, the omni-directional pattern has relatively poor roundness, although the base station antenna 100 may have 4T4R capability. This is undesirable.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide a base station antenna that overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a base station antenna comprising: a longitudinally extending reflector structure comprising a plurality of reflectors arranged in a circumferential direction; a first set of first band radiating elements configured for generating a first omnidirectional pattern, wherein the first set of first band radiating elements comprises a plurality of columns of first band radiating elements, each first band radiating element in the first column of the first set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

In some embodiments, the distributed arrangement of the respective first band radiating elements in the first column of the first group on the at least two reflectors may be configured to improve roundness of the first omni-directional pattern.

In some embodiments, some or all of the first band radiating elements in the first column of the first group may be distributed over at least two adjacent reflectors.

In some embodiments, each first band radiating element in the first column of the first set may be distributed over a respective different reflector.

In some embodiments, the first column of the first group may include a first number of first band radiating elements disposed on the first reflector and a second number of first band radiating elements disposed on the second reflector, wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the second number.

In some embodiments, the first reflector and the second reflector may be disposed adjacent to each other or spaced apart from each other by at least one reflector.

In some embodiments, the first column of the first set may include a plurality of first band radiating elements disposed on the first reflector and only one first band radiating element disposed on the second reflector.

In some embodiments, the only one first band radiating element may be disposed at a longitudinal end of the second reflector.

In some embodiments, the first columns of the first set may form an L-shaped arrangement.

In some embodiments, the first set of first band radiating elements may include at least three columns of first band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, each column of the first set of first band radiating elements may be distributed over at least two reflectors, respectively.

In some embodiments, the first plurality of columns of first band radiating elements of the first group may be distributed over more than half of the reflector structure.

In some embodiments, the first plurality of columns of first band radiating elements of the first group may be distributed over 2/3 of the reflectors of the reflector structure.

In some embodiments, the first plurality of columns of first band radiating elements of the first group may be distributed over all reflectors of the reflector structure.

In some embodiments, the same number of first band radiating elements of the first group may be distributed on each reflector of the reflector structure.

In some embodiments, each first band radiating element of the first group may be disposed spaced apart from the circumferentially adjacent other radiating elements, respectively, by at least one reflector.

In some embodiments, the base station antenna may comprise a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements, the first feed network comprising a first power splitting module configured to split a radio frequency signal having a predetermined polarization into a plurality of primary sub-components for the plurality of columns of first band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, the first feed network may include a second power distribution module configured to divide the primary sub-components for the respective columns into secondary sub-components for each first band radiating element of the respective columns.

In some embodiments, a second power distribution module for a first column of first band radiating elements may be printed on a first feed board in front of the first reflector, a first number of the first band radiating elements of the first column being mounted on the first feed board, and a second number of the first band radiating elements of the first column being mounted on a second feed board in front of the second reflector, the second power distribution module feeding respective secondary sub-components of the radio frequency signal to the second number of first band radiating elements via a transmission structure.

In some embodiments, the transmission structure may be a jumper or a coaxial connector.

In some embodiments, a predetermined phase difference may be set between a first secondary sub-component fed to the first number of first band radiating elements and a second secondary sub-component fed to the second number of first band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, the predetermined phase difference may be between 0 ° and 360 °.

In some embodiments, the base station antenna may include a second set of first band radiating elements configured to produce a second omni-directional pattern, wherein the second set of first band radiating elements includes a plurality of columns of first band radiating elements, each first band radiating element in the first column of the second set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

In some embodiments, each first band radiating element in the first column of the second set may be partially or fully distributed over a common reflector with each first band radiating element in the first column of the first set.

In some embodiments, the base station antenna may include a third set of second band radiating elements configured to produce a third omni-directional pattern, wherein the third set of second band radiating elements includes a plurality of columns of second band radiating elements, each second band radiating element in a first column of the third set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

In some embodiments, each second band radiating element in the first column of the third group may be distributed partially or fully over a common reflector with each first band radiating element in the first column of the first group.

In some embodiments, the reflector structure may have a polygonal cross-section.

In some embodiments, the polygonal cross-section may be a hexagonal, a nonagon, or a dodecagon cross-section.

In some embodiments, the radome of the base station antenna may have a diameter of 180mm to 370 mm.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a base station antenna comprising: a longitudinally extending reflector structure comprising a plurality of reflectors arranged in a circumferential direction; a plurality of sets of radiating elements each configured to produce an omnidirectional pattern, wherein each of the plurality of sets of radiating elements each comprises a plurality of columns of radiating elements, each radiating element in a first column of a first set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

In some embodiments, the plurality of sets of radiating elements may include at least one set of first band radiating elements and at least one set of second band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, the plurality of sets of radiating elements may include three sets of first band radiating elements and three sets of second band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, the plurality of sets of radiating elements may include at least two sets of first band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, the plurality of sets of radiating elements may include three sets of first band radiating elements.

In some embodiments, each radiating element of the plurality of sets of radiating elements may be disposed spaced apart by at least one reflector in a circumferential direction of the reflector structure.

In some embodiments, the base station antenna may comprise a first feed network for feeding a first set of radiating elements, the first feed network comprising a first power distribution module configured to divide a radio frequency signal having a predetermined polarization into a plurality of primary sub-components for a plurality of columns of radiating elements of the first set.

In some embodiments, the first feed network may include a second power distribution module configured to divide a primary subcomponent for a respective column into secondary subcomponents for each radiating element of the respective column.

In some embodiments, a second power distribution module for a first column of radiating elements may be printed on a first feed board in front of the first reflector, a first number of radiating elements of the first column being mounted on the first feed board and a second number of radiating elements of the first column being mounted on a second feed board in front of the second reflector, the second power distribution module feeding respective secondary sub-components of the radio frequency signal to the second number of radiating elements via a transmission structure.

In some embodiments, a predetermined phase difference may be set between a first secondary subcomponent fed to the first number of radiating elements and a second secondary subcomponent fed to the second number of radiating elements.

In some embodiments, the predetermined phase difference may be between 0 ° and 360 °.

Drawings

The disclosure is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings by means of specific embodiments. The schematic drawings are briefly described as follows:

fig. 1a is a schematic front view of a base station antenna with a radome removed, wherein the base station antenna has six reflectors and has two sets of first band radiating elements for generating one omni-directional pattern, according to the prior art;

fig. 1b is a schematic cross-sectional view of the base station antenna in fig. 1 a;

fig. 2a is a schematic front view of the base station antenna of fig. 1a with its reflectors spread out in the same plane;

fig. 2 b-2 d are schematic front views of a base station antenna having six reflectors and two sets of first band radiating elements each for generating an omni-directional pattern, respectively, with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3a to 3d are azimuth patterns formed by the base station antennas of fig. 2a to 2d, respectively;

fig. 4a to 4d are pitch angle patterns formed by the base station antennas of fig. 2a to 2d, respectively;

fig. 5 is a schematic front view of a base station antenna having six reflectors and having two sets of first band radiating elements for generating an omni-directional pattern, with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, according to further embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 6a is a schematic front view of the reflectors of a base station antenna according to the prior art with twelve reflectors and with two sets of first band radiating elements for generating one omni-directional pattern and two sets of second band radiating elements for generating one omni-directional pattern, respectively, when the reflectors are spread out in the same plane;

fig. 6b is a schematic front view of reflectors of a base station antenna having twelve reflectors and having two sets of first band radiating elements for producing one omni-directional pattern and two sets of second band radiating elements for producing one omni-directional pattern, respectively, when the reflectors are unfolded in the same plane, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 7a and 7b are azimuth patterns formed by the base station antennas of fig. 6a and 6b, respectively;

fig. 8 and 9 are schematic front views of base station antennas according to further embodiments of the present disclosure, respectively, with their reflectors deployed in the same plane, wherein each of the base station antennas has twelve reflectors and has two sets of first band radiating elements for producing one omni-directional pattern and two sets of second band radiating elements for producing one omni-directional pattern, respectively;

fig. 10a is a schematic front view of reflectors of a base station antenna according to the prior art with twelve reflectors and with two sets of first band radiating elements for generating one omni-directional pattern, respectively, when the reflectors are unfolded in the same plane;

fig. 10b is a schematic front view of reflectors of a base station antenna having twelve reflectors and having two sets of first band radiating elements for generating an omni-directional pattern, with the reflectors spread out in the same plane, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 11a and 11b are azimuth patterns formed by the base station antennas of FIGS. 10a and 10b, respectively;

Fig. 12 and 13 are schematic front views of a base station antenna having twelve reflectors and having two sets of first band radiating elements for generating an omni-directional pattern, respectively, with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 14 and 15 are schematic front views of a base station antenna having nine reflectors and three sets of first band radiating elements for generating an omni-directional pattern, respectively, with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 16a is a schematic diagram of a first power distribution module of a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements of the base station antenna in fig. 2 b;

fig. 16b is a partial schematic diagram of a second power distribution module of a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements of the base station antenna in fig. 2 b;

fig. 17a is a schematic front view of a base station antenna with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 17b is a schematic diagram of a first power distribution module of a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements of the base station antenna in fig. 17 a;

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of a first power distribution module and a second power distribution module of a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements of the base station antenna in fig. 2 c.

Detailed Description

Here, it should be noted that the base station antennas in fig. 1 to 18 differ mainly in the arrangement of the sets of radiating elements on the reflector structure for generating the omni-directional pattern, and therefore, in order not to obscure the focus of the present disclosure and in order to facilitate the reader's understanding, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in fig. 1 to 18.

Fig. 1a shows a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to the prior art. Fig. 1b shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 1 a. Fig. 2a shows a schematic front view of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 1a with its reflectors spread out in the same plane. Fig. 3a shows an azimuthal pattern formed by the base station antenna 100 of fig. 1 a. Fig. 4a shows a pitch angle pattern formed by the base station antenna 100 of fig. 1 a.

As shown in fig. 1a, 1b and 2a, the base station antenna 100 may include a reflector structure 110 having six reflectors 112-1 through 112-6. A linear array 120-1 to 120-6 of first band radiating elements 122 may be mounted on each reflector 112 of the reflector structure 110, respectively. Accordingly, a total of six linear arrays 120-1 to 120-6 of first band radiating elements may be mounted on the reflector structure 110. Reflector 112 may serve as a ground plane for radiating element 122. Radiating element 122 is mounted to extend in a forward direction from reflector 112. Here, each linear array 120 includes a plurality (illustratively 4 in the figure) of first-band radiating elements. As shown in fig. 2a, the base station antenna 100 comprises a first set of first band radiating elements (corresponding to the linear arrays 120-1, 120-3, 120-5) that are commonly network fed for generating a first omni-directional pattern and a second set of first band radiating elements (corresponding to the linear arrays 120-2, 120-4, 120-6) that are commonly network fed for generating a second omni-directional pattern. Thus, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 1a is capable of providing omni-directional coverage with 4T4R multiple input multiple output capability. However, as can be seen from fig. 3a and 4a, the omni-directional pattern produced by the base station antenna 100 has a relatively poor roundness, e.g., a non-roundness of about-22.42 dB at 4.2GHz operating frequency.

In order to improve the omni-directional coverage performance parameters of the base station antenna 100, such as the roundness of the omni-directional pattern, the present disclosure proposes a new base station antenna 100. The base station antenna 100 according to the present disclosure includes: a longitudinally extending reflector structure 110 comprising a plurality of reflectors 112 arranged in a circumferential direction; a first set of first band radiating elements 122 configured for generating a first omnidirectional pattern, wherein the first set of first band radiating elements 122 includes a plurality of columns 120 of first band radiating elements 122, each first band radiating element 122 in a first column 120-1 of the first set being distributed over at least two reflectors 112. In this disclosure, a "first band radiating element" may be understood as a radiating element operating in a first band. The first frequency band may be a low frequency, an intermediate frequency, or a high frequency. That is, the first band radiating element 122 may be a low frequency radiating element, a mid-band radiating element, or a high frequency radiating element. The low band radiating element may be, for example, a radiating element configured to operate in a range of 617MHz to 960MHz or one or more portions thereof. The mid-band radiating element may be, for example, a radiating element configured to operate in the 1427MHz to 2690MHz or one or more partial ranges therein. The high-band radiating element may be, for example, a radiating element configured to operate in the 3GHz to 6GHz or one or more partial ranges therein. A "column of radiating elements", e.g. the first column described above, may be understood as a plurality of radiating elements that are fed by a common network (e.g. by means of a second power splitting module, which will be described below) for generating one antenna beam. In other words, a "column of radiating elements" may be understood as a linear arrangement of a plurality of radiating elements, and the respective phase centers of the plurality of radiating elements may form one virtual line extending substantially vertically or at least having a vertical component. For example, the plurality of radiating elements may be arranged in a vertical array distributed over one reflector 112 as shown in fig. 2a or may be arranged in a linear array distributed over at least two reflectors 112 as shown in fig. 6b or may be arranged in an alternating array distributed over at least two reflectors 112 as shown in fig. 2b to 2 d.

Based on the distributed arrangement of the first band radiating elements 122 in one column over the at least two reflectors 112, the distribution of the first set of first band radiating elements 122 of the base station antenna 100 according to the present disclosure over the reflector structure 110 is more uniform compared to the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2a, such that the radiation power of the first set of first band radiating elements 122 can be more uniformly distributed in the circumferential direction, whereby the omnidirectional coverage performance parameters of the base station antenna 100 can be improved, e.g. the roundness of the first omnidirectional pattern is improved. This will be described in more detail below with the aid of fig. 2b to 18.

Similar to fig. 2a, fig. 2b to 2d respectively show schematic front views of a base station antenna 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure when its reflectors are spread out in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has six reflectors 112 and has two sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern. In fig. 2b to 2d, the first set of first columns are connected by dashed lines and the second set of first columns are connected by dashed lines. Fig. 16a shows a schematic diagram of a first power distribution module 210 of a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements 122 of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2 b. Fig. 16b shows a partial schematic diagram of a second power distribution module 220 of a first feed network for feeding the first set of first band radiating elements 122 of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2 b.

The base station antenna 100 may include a longitudinally extending reflector structure 110 that includes a plurality of reflectors 112, here illustratively six reflectors 112-1 through 112-6, arranged in a circumferential direction. The reflector structure 110 may have a polygonal cross-section, here an exemplary hexagonal cross-section. It should be appreciated that the reflector structure 110 may have other polygonal cross-sections, such as a dodecagonal cross-section in fig. 6b or a nonagonal cross-section in fig. 14, or have other irregular cross-sections. The base station antenna 100 may include one or more sets of radiating elements 122 mounted on respective reflectors 112 of the reflector structure 110, each set of radiating elements 122 configured to produce an omni-directional pattern. In the illustrated embodiment, the base station antenna 100 illustratively includes a first set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to produce a first omni-directional pattern and a second set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to produce a second omni-directional pattern. In fig. 2a to 2d, for ease of distinction from each other, the first set of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a thick cross and the second set of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a thin cross. The first band radiating element 122 may be configured, for example, as a +/-45 ° cross dipole radiating element 122 as shown in fig. 2 a-2 d. In addition, the base station antenna 100 includes a radome 102 covering and protecting the first band radiating element 122. The radome 102 may have a cylindrical configuration, which may have a diameter of 180mm to 370mm, for example. In some embodiments, the radome 102 may be between 180 and 200mm in diameter, such as 180 mm. In some embodiments, the radome 102 may be between 280 and 370mm in diameter, such as 305 mm.

Specifically, in the embodiment of fig. 2b, the base station antenna 100 comprises: a first set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to generate a first omni-directional pattern; and a second set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to produce a second omni-directional pattern. The first set of first band radiating elements 122 illustratively includes three columns of radiating elements 122, each column including four radiating elements 122. Here, the first and third radiating elements 122-1 and 122-3 in the first column are disposed on the first reflector 112-1, and the second and fourth radiating elements 122-2 and 122-4 in the first column are disposed on the second reflector 112-2. This arrangement of radiating elements 122 in the first column may be referred to as a staggered arrangement. Similarly, the four radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed over the third reflector 112-3 and the fourth reflector 112-4 in the same arrangement; the four radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the fifth and sixth reflectors 112-5 and 112-6 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 2b, the arrangement embodiment of the second set of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first set of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

The base station antenna 100 further comprises a first feed network for feeding the first set of first band radiating elements 122. The first feed network may comprise one first power distribution module 210 as shown in fig. 16a and a plurality of (e.g. three) second power distribution modules 220 as shown in fig. 16b, the first power distribution module 210 being configured to split radio frequency signals having a predetermined polarization (here, illustratively, a positive polarization, more precisely +45° polarization) into three primary sub-components for the three columns of radiating elements 122, the second power distribution module 220 being configured to split the primary sub-components for the respective columns into secondary sub-components for each first frequency band radiating element 122 of the respective columns. Here, the first power distribution module 210 may be configured as a one-to-three power distribution module, and the second power distribution module 220 may be configured as a one-to-four power distribution module. The split-three power distribution module has one primary input port P11 for receiving the radio frequency signal of the predetermined polarization and three primary output ports P21, P22, P23 for outputting respective primary sub-components. The one-to-four power distribution module has one secondary input P31 for receiving the primary subcomponent and four secondary output ports P41, P42, P43, P44 for outputting the respective secondary subcomponents. The three primary output ports P21, P22, P23 of the one-to-three power distribution module are each connected to a secondary input port P31 of the one-to-four power distribution module. It should be appreciated that the first power distribution module 210 may be configured as any other ratio of power distribution modules, such as a one-to-two, a one-to-four, a one-to-five, etc., and the second power distribution module 220 may be configured as any other ratio of power distribution modules, such as a one-to-three, a one-to-five, a one-to-six, etc. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 16b, the second power distribution module 220 may be printed on a second feeding board (not shown) in front of the second reflector 112-2 for feeding the respective secondary sub-components of the radio frequency signal directly to the first set of first columns of first band radiating elements 122 arranged on the second reflector 112-2 and via the transmission structure 350 to the first set of first columns of first band radiating elements 122 arranged on the first reflector 112-1. The transmission structure 350 may be a jumper or a coaxial connector. In some embodiments, a predetermined phase difference may be set between a first secondary sub-component fed to the first set of first columns of first band radiating elements 122 disposed on first reflector 112-1 and a second secondary sub-component fed to the first set of first columns of first band radiating elements 122 disposed on second reflector 112-2. The predetermined phase difference may be between 0 ° and 360 °, for example 170 °, 175 °, 180 °, 185 ° and 190 °, etc. The roundness of the corresponding omni-directional pattern can be further improved by setting an appropriate phase difference. Similarly, a similar second power distribution module 220 for the first set of second column first band radiating elements 122 may be printed on the fourth feed plate in front of the fourth reflector 112-4, and a similar second power distribution module 220 for the first set of third column first band radiating elements 122 may be printed on the sixth feed plate in front of the sixth reflector 112-6.

In the embodiment in fig. 2b, in addition to the above-described first feed network for feeding radio frequency signals having a positive polarization, here exemplified by +45° polarization, to the first set of first band radiating elements 122, the base station antenna 100 may further comprise: a second feed network for feeding radio frequency signals having negative polarization, here exemplified by-45 deg., to the first set of first band radiating elements 122; a third feed network for feeding radio frequency signals having a positive polarization, here exemplified by +45° polarization, to the second set of first band radiating elements 122; and a fourth feed network for feeding radio frequency signals having negative polarization, here exemplified by-45 deg., to the second set of first band radiating elements 122. The arrangement embodiments of the second to fourth feed networks may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first feed network and will not be described here again.

In other embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in fig. 17, the first through fourth feed networks may be more simply constructed. As shown in fig. 17a, each column of the first and second sets comprises only two first band radiating elements 122. That is, the first group includes six total radiating elements 122 and the second group includes six total radiating elements. In this case, as shown in fig. 17b, in the first feed network, the first power distribution module 210 may be configured as a one-to-six power distribution module. The split-six power distribution module has one primary input port P11 for receiving the radio frequency signal of the predetermined polarization and six primary output ports P21, P22, P23, P24, P25, P26 for outputting secondary subcomponents. The split-six power distribution module is configured to split the radio frequency signal having the predetermined polarization directly into secondary sub-components for each first band radiating element 122 of the first group, thereby omitting the above-mentioned second power distribution module 220 and thus simplifying the first feed network. Similarly, the arrangement embodiments of the second to fourth feed networks may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first feed network and will not be described again here.

Fig. 2c is a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to further embodiments of the present disclosure when its reflectors are spread out in the same plane. Unlike the embodiment in fig. 2b, the first 122-1, second 122-2 and third 122-3 radiating elements in the first column of the first group are arranged on the first reflector 112-1, and the fourth 122-4 radiating element in the first column is arranged on the second longitudinal end 112-2-2 of the second reflector 112-2. Thus, the four radiating elements 122 in the first column also form a staggered arrangement. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed over the third reflector 112-3 and the fourth reflector 112-4 in the same arrangement; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the sixth reflector 112-6 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 2c, the arrangement embodiment of the second set of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first set of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 18 shows a schematic diagram of a first power distribution module 210 and a second power distribution module 220 of a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements 122 of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2 c. Unlike the embodiment in fig. 16b, the second power distribution module 220 for the first set of first columns may be printed on a first feed board (not shown) in front of the first reflector 112-1 for feeding the respective secondary sub-components of the radio frequency signals directly to the first band radiating elements 122 of the first set of first columns arranged on the first reflector 112-1 and via the transmission structure 350 to the first band radiating elements 122 of the first set of first columns arranged on the second reflector 112-2. Similarly, a similar second power distribution module 220 for the first set of second column first band radiating elements 122 may be printed on the third feed plate in front of the third reflector 112-3, and a similar second power distribution module 220 for the first set of third column first band radiating elements 122 may be printed on the fifth feed plate in front of the fifth reflector 112-5.

Fig. 2d is a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to further embodiments of the present disclosure when its reflectors are spread out in the same plane. Unlike the embodiment in fig. 2c, the fourth radiating elements 122-4 of the first group of first columns are arranged at the first longitudinal ends 112-2-1 of the second reflectors 112-2 such that the first columns of said first group form an L-shaped arrangement. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed over the third reflector 112-3 and the fourth reflector 112-4 in the same arrangement; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the sixth reflector 112-6 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 2d, the arrangement embodiment of the second set of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first set of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 3a to 3d show the omni-directional patterns of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2a to 2d (which here has a diameter of 305 mm) at 3.1Ghz, 3.7Ghz and 4.2Ghz, respectively.

Fig. 4a to 4d show pitch angle patterns of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2a to 2d at 3.1Ghz, 3.7Ghz and 4.2Ghz, respectively. As can be seen from fig. 3a to 3d, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2b, 2c, 2d is capable of improving the roundness of the omni-directional pattern by at least 4.3dB in the S-band (here 3.1Ghz, 3.7Ghz and 4.2 Ghz) and even 13.84dB in some operating frequencies (e.g. 4.2 Ghz). Furthermore, as can be seen from fig. 4a to 4d, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2c and 2d is able to not only improve the roundness of the horizontal plane pattern, but also to keep the vertical pattern, e.g. the side lobe suppression, of the base station antenna 100 substantially unchanged.

Fig. 5 is a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure with its reflectors spread out in the same plane. In fig. 5, the first group of first columns are connected by a dashed line, and the second group of first columns are connected by a dashed line. Unlike the embodiment in fig. 2b, the first 122-1 and second 122-2 radiating elements in the first group of first columns are disposed on the first reflector 112-1, and the third 122-3 and fourth 122-4 radiating elements in the first columns are disposed on the second reflector 112-2. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed over the third reflector 112-3 and the fourth reflector 112-4 in the same arrangement; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the sixth reflector 112-6 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 5, the arrangement embodiment of the second group of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first group of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again.

Fig. 6a shows a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to the prior art when its reflectors are spread out in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has twelve reflectors 112 and has two sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern and two sets of second band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern. Fig. 6b shows a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to further embodiments of the present disclosure when its reflectors are unfolded in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has twelve reflectors 112 and has two sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern and two sets of second band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern. In fig. 6b, the first set of first columns and the second set of columns are connected by dashed lines, respectively, and the second set of first columns and the second set of columns are connected by dashed lines, respectively. Fig. 7a and 7b show the azimuthal patterns formed by the base station antenna 100 in fig. 6a and 6b, respectively. In fig. 6a and 6b, to facilitate differentiation from each other, the first set of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a smaller thick cross, the second set of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a larger thin cross, the third set of second band radiating elements 122 is represented by a smaller thin cross, and the fourth set of second band radiating elements 122 is represented by a larger thick cross.

Unlike the base station antenna 100 in fig. 2a, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 6a has twelve reflectors 112-1 to 112-12 and twelve linear arrays 120-1 to 120-12. The base station antenna 100 includes a first set of first band radiating elements (corresponding to linear arrays 120-1, 120-5, 120-9), a second set of first band radiating elements (corresponding to linear arrays 120-2, 120-6, 120-10), a third set of second band radiating elements (corresponding to linear arrays 120-3, 120-7, 120-11), a fourth set of second band radiating elements (corresponding to linear arrays 120-4, 120-8, 120-12), the first set of first band radiating elements being commonly network fed for producing a first omni-directional pattern, the second set of first band radiating elements being commonly network fed for producing a second omni-directional pattern, the third set of second band radiating elements being commonly network fed for producing a third omni-directional pattern, the fourth set of second band radiating elements being commonly network fed for producing a fourth omni-directional pattern. Thus, the base station antenna in fig. 6a is capable of providing omni-directional coverage with 8T8R capability.

Unlike the embodiment in fig. 6a, in the embodiment of fig. 6b according to the present disclosure, the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the first group are each distributed over a respective different reflector 112. More specifically, a first radiating element 122-1 in a first column is disposed on the first reflector 112-1, a second radiating element 122-2 in the first column is disposed on the second reflector 112-2, a third radiating element 122-3 in the first column is disposed on the third reflector 112-3, and a fourth radiating element 122-4 in the first column is disposed on the fourth reflector 112-4. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed in the same arrangement over the fifth to eighth reflectors 112-5 to 112-8; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the ninth through twelfth reflectors 112-9 through 112-12 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 6b, the arrangement embodiments of the second set of first band radiating elements 122, the third set of second band radiating elements 122 and the fourth set of second band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first set of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 7a and 7b show the omni-directional patterns of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 6a and 6b (which here has a diameter of 305 mm) at 3.1Ghz to 4.2Ghz, respectively. As can be seen from fig. 7a and 7b, the base station antenna 100 according to the present disclosure is capable of improving the roundness of the omni-directional pattern by at least 12.8dB, even by about 25dB, in the S-band (here 3.1Ghz to 4.2 Ghz).

Fig. 8 is a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure with its reflectors spread out in the same plane. In fig. 8, the first group of first columns are connected by a broken line, and the third group of first columns are connected by a broken line. Each first band radiating element 122 in the first column of the first group is distributed over at least two non-adjacent reflectors 112. More specifically, unlike the embodiment in FIG. 6b, the first through third radiating elements 122-1, 112-2, 112-3 in the first column of the first group are disposed on the first reflector 112-1, and the fourth radiating element 122-4 in the first column is disposed on the third reflector 112-3. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed in the same arrangement over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the seventh reflector 112-7; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the ninth reflector 112-9 and the eleventh reflector 112-11 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 8, the arrangement embodiments of the second group of first band radiating elements 122, the third group of second band radiating elements 122, and the fourth group of second band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first group of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 9 is a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure with its reflectors spread out in the same plane. In fig. 9, the first group of first columns are connected by a broken line, and the third group of first columns are connected by a broken line. Unlike the embodiment in fig. 8, the first to third radiating elements 122-1, 122-2, 122-3 in the first column of the first group are disposed on the first reflector 112-1 and the fourth radiating element 122-4 is disposed at the second longitudinal end 112-3-2 of the third reflector 112-3 such that the first column of the first group forms an L-shaped arrangement. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed in the same arrangement over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the seventh reflector 112-7; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the ninth reflector 112-9 and the eleventh reflector 112-11 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 9, the arrangement embodiments of the second group of first band radiating elements 122, the third group of second band radiating elements 122, and the fourth group of second band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first group of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 10a shows a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to the prior art with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has twelve reflectors 112 and has two sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern. Fig. 10b shows a schematic front view of a base station antenna 100 according to further embodiments of the present disclosure, with its reflectors spread out in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has twelve reflectors 112 and has two sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern. In fig. 10b, the first set of first columns are connected by dashed lines and the second set of first columns are connected by dashed lines. Fig. 11a and 11b show azimuth patterns formed by the base station antenna 100 in fig. 10a and 10b, respectively. In fig. 10a and 10b, the first set of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a thick cross and the second set of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a thin cross for ease of distinction from each other.

Unlike the base station antenna 100 in fig. 6a, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 10a has twelve reflectors 112-1 to 112-12 and one linear array 120 is provided on each two reflectors. Thus, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 10a has six linear arrays 120-1 to 120-6 instead of twelve linear arrays 120. As shown in fig. 10a, the base station antenna 100 includes a first set of first band radiating elements (corresponding to the linear arrays 120-1, 120-3, 120-5) that are commonly network fed for generating a first omni-directional pattern and a second set of first band radiating elements (corresponding to the linear arrays 120-2, 120-4, 120-6) that are commonly network fed for generating a second omni-directional pattern. Thus, the base station antenna 100 in fig. 10a is capable of providing omni-directional coverage with 4T4R capability.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, e.g. fig. 10b and the embodiments of fig. 12 and 13 to be described hereinafter, each first band radiating element of the first group may be arranged spaced apart from a circumferentially adjacent second group of first band radiating elements, respectively, by at least one reflector. In this way, cross-talk between radiating elements can be reduced and can be particularly suitable for base station antennas where the radome diameter is small (e.g. between 180mm and 370mm in diameter) or the reflector is narrow.

Unlike fig. 10a, in the embodiment of fig. 10b, the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the first group are each distributed over a respective different reflector 112. More specifically, a first radiating element 122-1 in a first column is disposed on the first reflector 112-1, a second radiating element 122-2 in the first column is disposed on the second reflector 112-2, a third radiating element 122-3 in the first column is disposed on the third reflector 112-3, and a fourth radiating element 122-4 in the first column is disposed on the fourth reflector 112-4. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed in the same arrangement over the fifth to eighth reflectors 112-5 to 112-8; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the ninth through twelfth reflectors 112-9 through 112-12 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 10b, the arrangement embodiment of the second set of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first set of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 11a and 11b show the omni-directional patterns of the base station antenna 100 in fig. 10a and 10b (which here has a diameter of 180 mm) at 3.1Ghz to 4.2Ghz, respectively. As is clear from fig. 11a and 11b, the base station antenna 100 according to the present disclosure can improve roundness by at least 4.3dB, even by about 10dB, in S-band (here 3.1Ghz to 4.2 Ghz). Further, as is clear from a comparison between fig. 11b (base station antenna diameter: 180 mm) and fig. 7b (base station antenna diameter: 305 mm), the roundness of the omnidirectional antenna pattern can be further improved by reducing the diameter of the radome 102 of the base station antenna 100 or the width of the reflector 112.

Fig. 12 and 13 show schematic front views of a base station antenna 100 according to further embodiments of the present disclosure when its reflectors are spread out in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has twelve reflectors 112 and has two sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating one omni-directional pattern. In fig. 12 and 13, in order to facilitate discrimination from each other, the first group of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a thick cross, and the second group of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by a thin cross. The first group of first columns are connected by dashed lines and the second group of first columns are connected by dashed lines.

Similar to the embodiment in fig. 9, in the embodiment of fig. 12, the first column of the first set of first band radiating elements 122 also includes first to third radiating elements 122-1, 122-2, 122-3 disposed on the first reflector 112-1 and a fourth radiating element 122-4 disposed on the second longitudinal end 112-3-2 of the third reflector 112-3 such that the first column of the first set forms an L-shaped arrangement. However, unlike the embodiment in fig. 9, the radiation elements of the first and second groups are arranged spaced apart by at least one reflector in the circumferential direction of the reflector structure 110. As shown in fig. 12, no radiating element 122 is disposed on the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth reflectors 112-2, 112-4, 112-6, 112-8, 112-10 and 112. Similarly, the four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed in the same arrangement over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the seventh reflector 112-7; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the ninth reflector 112-9 and the eleventh reflector 112-11 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 12, the arrangement embodiment of the second group of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first group of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Similar to the embodiment in fig. 12, in the embodiment of fig. 13, the radiation elements 122 of the first and second groups are arranged spaced apart by at least one reflector in the circumferential direction of the reflector structure. However, unlike the embodiment in fig. 12, as shown in fig. 13, all of the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the first group are distributed over adjacent first and second reflectors 112-1 and 112-2. Specifically, a first set of first through third radiating elements 122-1, 122-2, 122-3 of the first column are disposed on the first reflector 112-1, and a fourth radiating element 122-4 is disposed on the second longitudinal end 112-2-2 of the second reflector 112-2. Similarly, four first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed in the same arrangement over the fifth reflector 112-5 and the sixth reflector 112-6; the four first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the ninth reflector 112-9 and the eighth reflector 112-8 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 13, the arrangement embodiment of the second group of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiment of the first group of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

Fig. 14 and 15 show schematic front views of a base station antenna 100 according to further embodiments of the present disclosure, respectively, when its reflectors are unfolded in the same plane, wherein the base station antenna 100 has nine reflectors 112 and has three sets of first band radiating elements 122 for generating an omni-directional pattern. In fig. 14 and 15, in order to be easily distinguished from each other, the first group of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by white thick crosses, the second group of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by thin crosses, and the third group of first band radiating elements 122 is represented by black thick crosses. The first group of first columns are connected by a dashed line, the second group of first columns are connected by a dashed line, and the third group of first columns are connected by a dashed line.

In the embodiment of fig. 14, the base station antenna 100 may include: a first set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to generate a first omni-directional pattern; a second set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to generate a second omni-directional pattern; and a third set of first band radiating elements 122 configured to produce a third omni-directional pattern. The first group includes a first column, a second column, and a third column. As shown in fig. 14, each of the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the first group is distributed over at least three reflectors 112, respectively. The first column of the first group includes a first radiating element 122-1 disposed on a first reflector 112-1, a second radiating element 122-2 disposed on a second reflector 112-2, and a third radiating element 122-3 disposed on a third reflector 112-3. That is, each of the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the first group are each distributed over a respective different reflector 112. Similarly, the three first band radiating elements 122 in the second column of the first group may be distributed over the fourth to sixth reflectors 112-4 to 112-6 in the same arrangement; the three first band radiating elements 122 in the third column of the first group may be distributed over the seventh to ninth reflectors 112-7 to 112-9 in the same arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 14, the arrangement embodiments of the second group of first band radiating elements 122 and the third group of first band radiating elements 122 may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first group of first band radiating elements 122, and will not be described again here.

In the embodiment of fig. 15, unlike the embodiment of fig. 14, the first column of the first group includes four first band radiating elements 122 disposed on the first reflector 112-1 and only one first band radiating element 122 disposed on the second reflector 112-2. The only one first band radiating element 122 of the first group is disposed at the second longitudinal end 112-2-2 of the second reflector 112-2 such that the first column of the first group forms an L-shaped arrangement. The first column of the second group includes two first band radiating elements 122 disposed on the second reflector 112-2 and only one first band radiating element 122 disposed on the third reflector 112-3. The only one first band radiating element 122 of the second group is disposed at the second longitudinal end 112-3-2 of the third reflector 112-3. The first column of the third group includes three first band radiating elements 122 disposed on the third reflector 112-3 and only one first band radiating element 122 disposed on the second reflector 112-2. The only one first band radiating element 122 of the third group is disposed at the first longitudinal end 112-2-1 of the second reflector 112-2 such that the first column of the third group forms an L-shaped arrangement. In addition, as shown in fig. 15, the arrangement embodiments of the first band radiating elements 122 in the second and third columns of the first to third groups may be similar to the arrangement embodiments of the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the corresponding group, and will not be repeated here.

The base station antenna 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can provide one or more of the following advantages: first, by distributing each first band radiating element 122 in the first column of the first group over at least two reflectors 112, e.g., over each different reflector 112, the roundness of the omni-directional pattern can be effectively improved; second, by distributing some or all of the first band radiating elements 122 in the first column of the first group over two adjacent reflectors 112, e.g., forming an L-shaped arrangement or staggered arrangement, an otherwise good vertical pattern of the base station antenna 20, e.g., side lobe suppression, can be substantially maintained; third, by using multiple sets of different band radiating elements 122, omni-directional coverage with 4T4R or more capability can be provided; fourth, by disposing each radiating element 122 of the plurality of sets of radiating elements at least one reflector 112 spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the reflector structure 110, cross-talk between the radiating elements 122 can be effectively reduced; fifth, by reasonably matching the arrangement of the multiple groups of radiating elements 122 in the reflector structure 110, different operation requirements of the base station antenna 100 can be flexibly satisfied.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, all changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims (8)

1. A base station antenna, the base station antenna comprising:

a longitudinally extending reflector structure comprising a plurality of reflectors arranged in a circumferential direction;

a first set of first band radiating elements configured for generating a first omnidirectional pattern, wherein the first set of first band radiating elements comprises a plurality of columns of first band radiating elements, each first band radiating element in the first column of the first set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

2. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein the distributed arrangement of each first band radiating element in the first column of the first group on the at least two reflectors is configured to increase roundness of the first omni-directional pattern.

3. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein some or all of the first band radiating elements in the first column of the first group are distributed over at least two adjacent reflectors.

4. The base station antenna of claim 1, wherein each first band radiating element in the first column of the first group is distributed over a respective different reflector.

5. The base station antenna of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first column of the first group comprises a first number of first band radiating elements disposed on a first reflector and a second number of first band radiating elements disposed on a second reflector, wherein the first number is greater than or equal to the second number; and/or

The first reflector and the second reflector are disposed adjacent to each other or spaced apart from each other by at least one reflector; and/or

The first column of the first group includes a plurality of first band radiating elements disposed on a first reflector and only one first band radiating element disposed on a second reflector; and/or

The only one first band radiating element is disposed at a longitudinal end of the second reflector; and/or

The first columns of the first group form an L-shaped arrangement structure; and/or

The first set of first band radiating elements includes at least three columns of first band radiating elements; and/or

Each column of the first group of first band radiating elements is distributed over at least two reflectors, respectively; and/or

The plurality of columns of first band radiating elements of the first group are distributed over half of the reflector structure; and/or

A first group of said plurality of columns of first band radiating elements being distributed over 2/3 of the reflector structure; and/or

The plurality of columns of first band radiating elements of the first group are distributed over all reflectors of the reflector structure; and/or

The same number of first band radiating elements of the first group are distributed on each reflector of the reflector structure; and/or

Each first band radiating element of the first group is disposed spaced apart from circumferentially adjacent other radiating elements by at least one reflector, respectively; and/or

The base station antenna comprises a first feed network for feeding a first set of first band radiating elements, the first feed network comprising a first power splitting module configured to split a radio frequency signal having a predetermined polarization into a plurality of primary sub-components for the plurality of columns of first band radiating elements; and/or

The first feed network comprises a second power distribution module configured to divide a primary sub-component for a respective column into secondary sub-components for each first band radiating element of the respective column; and/or

A second power distribution module for a first column of first band radiating elements is printed on a first feed board in front of the first reflector, a first number of the first band radiating elements of the first column being mounted on the first feed board and a second number of the first band radiating elements of the first column being mounted on a second feed board in front of the second reflector, the second power distribution module feeding respective secondary sub-components of the radio frequency signal to the second number of first band radiating elements via a transmission structure; and/or

The transmission structure is a jumper or a coaxial connector; and/or

A predetermined phase difference is set between a first secondary sub-component fed to the first number of first band radiating elements and a second secondary sub-component fed to the second number of first band radiating elements; and/or

The predetermined phase difference is between 0 ° and 360 °.

6. The base station antenna of one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the base station antenna comprises a second set of first band radiating elements configured for generating a second omni-directional pattern, wherein the second set of first band radiating elements comprises a plurality of columns of first band radiating elements, each first band radiating element of the second set of first columns being distributed over at least two reflectors; and/or

Each first band radiating element in the first column of the second group is partially or fully distributed on a common reflector with each first band radiating element in the first column of the first group; and/or

The base station antenna comprises a third set of second band radiating elements configured for generating a third omnidirectional pattern, wherein the third set of second band radiating elements comprises a plurality of columns of second band radiating elements, each second band radiating element in a first column of the third set being distributed over at least two reflectors; and/or

Each second band radiating element in the first column of the third group is distributed partially or wholly over a common reflector with each first band radiating element in the first column of the first group; and/or

The reflector structure has a polygonal cross-section; and/or

The cross section of the polygon is a hexagonal, a nine-sided or a twelve-sided cross section; and/or

The radome of the base station antenna has a diameter of 180mm to 370 mm.

7. A base station antenna, the base station antenna comprising:

a longitudinally extending reflector structure comprising a plurality of reflectors arranged in a circumferential direction;

a plurality of sets of radiating elements each configured to produce an omnidirectional pattern, wherein each of the plurality of sets of radiating elements each comprises a plurality of columns of radiating elements, each radiating element in a first column of a first set being distributed over at least two reflectors.

8. The base station antenna of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sets of radiating elements comprises at least one set of first band radiating elements and at least one set of second band radiating elements; and/or

The plurality of sets of radiating elements includes three sets of first band radiating elements and three sets of second band radiating elements; and/or

The plurality of sets of radiating elements includes at least two sets of first band radiating elements; and/or

The plurality of sets of radiating elements includes three sets of first band radiating elements; and/or

Each radiating element of the plurality of sets of radiating elements is disposed with at least one reflector spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the reflector structure; and/or

The base station antenna comprises a first feed network for feeding a first set of radiating elements, the first feed network comprising a first power splitting module configured to split a radio frequency signal having a predetermined polarization into a plurality of primary sub-components for a plurality of columns of radiating elements of the first set; and/or

The first feed network comprises a second power distribution module configured to divide a primary sub-component for a respective column into secondary sub-components for each radiating element of the respective column; and/or

A second power distribution module for a first column of radiating elements is printed on a first feed plate in front of the first reflector, a first number of radiating elements of the first column being mounted on the first feed plate and a second number of radiating elements of the first column being mounted on a second feed plate in front of the second reflector, the second power distribution module feeding respective secondary sub-components of the radio frequency signal to the second number of radiating elements via a transmission structure; and/or

A predetermined phase difference is set between a first secondary sub-component fed to the first number of radiating elements and a second secondary sub-component fed to the second number of radiating elements; and/or

The predetermined phase difference is between 0 ° and 360 °.