Efficient base station antenna element for mobile communications

There is a continuous battle in designing modern wireless communication systems to save few decibels in power budgets to improve performance using all possible means. Antenna serves as a key critical component in such a design. Here, we are proposing to improve the basic antenna element that is being used at the base station antenna systems. It is suggested that more metalization in the radiating configuration that fill the volume would yield higher gain for electrically small antenna according to Fano-Chu limits (1950). Starting from this assumption, an antenna structure based on Moxon antenna is proposed. Cross Moxon elements will be broadened and tapered, bent and terminated accordingly to optimize gain and bandwidth and lower cross-polarization as well as maintain low profile and almost no losses since no dielectric materials are involved. Simultaneously, it will have a low back lobe, increasing the radiation efficiency in the forward direction even in the presence of a small ground plane. This concept has been demonstrated on SATCOM and RFID tag reader antennas leading to significant size reduction and increase in gain compared to state-of-the-art of commercial counterparts. Patent application is pending and it is currently licensed to third party. Designs of base station antenna elements are presented with this configuration for air and dielectric loaded Moxon based structures. Prototype antenna has been fabricated, tested and measurement data is presented.