Systems and methods for calibrating arrays of dual-polarization antenna elements

An antenna apparatus, comprising:

• an antenna array, comprising a plurality of antenna cells arranged in K rows and L columns, where:
• each antenna cell includes a plurality of antenna elements,
• each antenna element is a dual-polarization antenna element,
• antenna cells in columns 1 through Y are antenna cells of a first sub-array,
• Y is an integer equal to or greater than 2 and less than L, and
• antenna cells in columns Y+1 through L are antenna cells of a second sub-array;
• and
• a calibration circuitry, to:
• calibrate antenna elements of a first odd row and a second odd row of a column of antenna cells of the first sub-array with respect to one another based on antenna elements of an even row of the antenna cells of the second sub-array that is between the first odd row and the second odd row of the column of the antenna cells of the first sub-array,
• calibrate antenna elements of a first even row and a second even row of the column of the antenna cells of the first sub-array with respect to one another based on antenna elements of an odd row of the antenna cells of the second sub-array that is between the first even row and the second even row of the column of the antenna cells of the first sub-array, and
• calibrate antenna elements of the first odd row and the second even row of the column of the antenna cells of the first sub-array with respect to one another based on antenna elements of two rows of the antenna cells of the second sub-array that is between the first odd row and the second even row of the column of the antenna cells of the first sub-array.

An antenna apparatus, comprising:

• an antenna array, comprising a plurality of antenna cells arranged in K rows and L columns, wherein:
• each antenna cell includes a plurality of antenna elements,
• each antenna element is a dual-polarization antenna element,
• antenna cells in columns 1 through Y are antenna cells of a first sub-array,
• Y is an integer equal to or greater than 2 and less than L, and
• antenna cells in columns Y+1 through L are antenna cells of a second sub-array;
• and
• a calibration circuitry, to:
• in a step 1, for each column of antenna cells of the first sub-array, calibrate antenna elements of the column of the antenna cells of the first sub-array with respect to one another,
• in a step 2, calibrate antenna elements of different columns of the antenna cells of the first sub-array with respect to one another using a plurality of calibration antenna elements other than the antenna elements of the antenna array, each calibration antenna element of the plurality of calibration antenna elements being equidistant to a respective pair of antenna elements of adjacent columns of the antenna cells of the first sub-array and being further away from other antenna elements of the adjacent columns than from the respective pair of antenna elements,
• in a step 3, for each column of antenna cells of the second sub-array, calibrate antenna elements of the column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array with respect to one another,
• in a step 4, calibrate antenna elements of different columns of the antenna cells of the second sub-array with respect to one another, and
• in a step 5, calibrate antenna elements of the first sub-array and antenna elements of the second sub-array with respect to one another,
• wherein the step 3 includes, for at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array:
• calibrating antenna elements of a first odd row and a second odd row of the at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array with respect to one another based on antenna elements of an even row of the antenna cells of the first sub-array that is between the first odd row and the second odd row of the at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array,
• calibrating antenna elements of a first even row and a second even row of the at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array with respect to one another based on antenna elements of an odd row of the antenna cells of the first sub-array that is between the first even row and the second even row of the at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array, and
• calibrating antenna elements of the first odd row and the second even row of the at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array with respect to one another based on antenna elements of two rows of the antenna cells of the first sub-array that is between the first odd row and the second even row of the at least one column of the antenna cells of the second sub-array.