Downtilt control for multiple antenna arrays

An antenna system for a base station of a wireless communication network, comprising:

• (a) an uplink array of antenna elements;
• (b) a downlink array of antenna elements;
• (c) an uplink power-combiner and an uplink phase-shifter assembly configured to control progressive phase shifts between successive array elements in the uplink array;
• (d) a downlink power-splitter and a downlink phase-shifter assembly configured to control progressive phase shifts between successive array elements in the downlink array;
• (e) a common linkage connected to one or more movable components of both the uplink and downlink phase-shifter assemblies;
• (f) a common motor configured to the linkage to convert motion of the common motor into motion of the linkage;
• and
• (g) a controller configured to control the motion of the common motor, wherein:
• the motion of the common motor causes the motion of the linkage which simultaneously moves the one or more components within the uplink and downlink power-splitter/phase-shifter assemblies to simultaneously change the progressive phase shifts between successive elements in the uplink and downlink arrays, thereby simultaneously changing the downtilt angles of the uplink and downlink arrays in a coordinated fashion.

An apparatus for simultaneously controlling downtilt angles of two or more arrays of antenna elements, comprising:

• (a) for each array, a power splitter and a phase-shifter assembly configured to control the progressive phase shifts between successive elements in the array;
• (b) a common linkage connected to one or more movable components of each phase-shifter assembly;
• (c) a common motor configured to the linkage to convert motion of the common motor into motion of the linkage;
• and
• (d) a controller configured to control the motion of the common motor, wherein:
• the motion of the common motor causes the motion of the linkage which simultaneously moves the one or more components within each phase-shifter assembly to change the progressive phase shifts between successive elements in the corresponding array, thereby simultaneously changing the downtilt angles of the two or more arrays in a coordinated fashion;
• and
• the phase-shifter assemblies for the two or more arrays have different designs to account for differences in frequency range between the two or more arrays.