CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application claims the benefit of priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202011266392.8, filed on November 13, 2020, and the entire contents of the above-identified application are incorporated by reference as if set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to radio communications, and more specifically, to a radiating element, an antenna assembly having the radiating element, and a related base station antenna.

BACKGROUND

[0003] A plurality of closely spaced radiating element arrays, for example, radiating element arrays configured for beamforming, may be mounted in some base station antennas such as beamforming base station antennas. In such a multi-array base station antenna, as shown in Fig. 1, a horizontal equivalent distance d_c between radiating elements of different arrays is generally smaller than a vertical equivalent distance d e between radiating elements of the same array, and a horizontal extending dimension d_h of a radiator of the radiating element is substantially equal to its vertical extending dimension d_v. This results in an asymmetric near-field electromagnetic environment for the radiating element. This asymmetric electromagnetic environment may lead to poor radiation performance of the base station antenna, such as the distortion of a radiation pattern or "antenna beam" formed by the multi-array base station antenna, and/or reduced cross-polarization discrimination.

[0004] In order to reduce the coupling between the radiating elements and improve the cross- polarization discrimination of the base station antenna, parasitic elements can be mounted between radiating elements of different antenna arrays and radiating elements of the same antenna array. In

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) some cases, it is also necessary to adjust the height of the parasitic elements so as to create a relatively symmetric near-field electromagnetic environment for the radiating elements. As parasitic elements are mounted around each radiating element, such a base station antenna has a complicated structure and causes additional manufacturing costs. This is undesirable.

SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the objective of the present disclosure is to provide a radiating element, an antenna assembly including the radiating element, and a related base station antenna capable of overcoming at least one drawback in the prior art.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a radiating element for an antenna array is provided, the antenna array including a first array and a second array extending vertically, the first array and the second array being spaced apart by a first equivalent distance, two adjacent radiating elements in the first array and/or the second array being spaced apart by a second equivalent distance, wherein, the first equivalent distance is not equal to the second equivalent distance, the radiating element has an asymmetric radiator having a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein, the first extending dimension is not equal to the second extending dimension, the first equivalent distance has a first ratio with respect to the second equivalent distance, and the first extending dimension has a second ratio with respect to the second extending dimension, wherein, the second ratio is set to match the first ratio.

[0007] In the case where the radiating element array has an asymmetric layout, radiating elements having asymmetric radiators are used to match the originally asymmetric coupling environment so as to achieve relatively symmetric coupling interference between the radiating elements. As a result, a relatively symmetric radiation pattern of the base station antenna can be obtained within a relatively wide scanning angle range, so that the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna can be improved.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) [0008] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a radiating element is provided, wherein, the radiating element may be configured as a dipole radiating element which has an asymmetric dipole, and the dipole has a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein, the first extending dimension is not equal to the second extending dimension.

[0009] According to a third aspect of the present invention, an antenna assembly including an antenna array is provided, wherein, the antenna array includes a first array and a second array extending vertically, the first array and the second array are spaced apart by a first equivalent distance, two adjacent radiating elements in the first array and/or the second array are spaced apart by a second equivalent distance, wherein, first equivalent distance is not equal to the second equivalent distance; one radiating element has an asymmetric radiator having a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein, the first extending dimension is not equal to the second extending dimension; the first equivalent distance has a first ratio with respect to the second equivalent distance, the first extending dimension has a second ratio with respect to the second extending dimension, wherein, the second ratio is set to match the first ratio.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna assembly is provided, characterized in that the antenna assembly includes an antenna array with an asymmetric layout, and a radiating element having an asymmetric radiator is arranged in the antenna array with an asymmetric layout.

[0011] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a base station antenna is provided, wherein, the base station antenna may include: an array of the radiating elements according to the present disclosure or the antenna assembly according to the present disclosure.

[0012] The base station according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has a simplified structure and is easy to assemble and disassemble. In addition, the base station antenna according to some embodiments of the present disclosure well controls the manufacturing costs of base station antennas.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The present disclosure will be explained in more detail by means of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The schematic drawings are briefly described as follows:

[0014] Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of an antenna assembly according to the prior art;

[0015] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of an antenna assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of an antenna assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, with parasitic elements mounted between radiating element arrays of the antenna assembly;

[0017] Fig. 4 is a schematic front view of an antenna assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0018] Fig. 5 is a radiation pattern of a base station antenna according to the present disclosure at a horizontal scanning angle of 46°.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below. In fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the present disclosure more complete and to fully explain the protection scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed in the present disclosure may be combined in various ways so as to provide more additional embodiments.

[0020] It should be understood that in all the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals and signs denote the same elements. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of certain features can be changed for clarity.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) [0021] It should be understood that the words in the specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art. For brevity and/or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described further in detail.

[0022] The singular forms "a," "an," "the" and "this" used in the specification all include plural forms unless clearly indicated. The words "include," "contain" and "have" used in the specification indicate the presence of the claimed features, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features. The word "and/or" used in the specification includes any or all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. The words "between X and Y" and "between approximate X and Y" used in the specification shall be interpreted as including X and Y. As used herein, the wording "between about X and Y" means "between about X and about Y," and as used herein, the wording "from about X to Y" means "from about X to about Y."

[0023] In the specification, when an element is referred to as being "on," "attached" to, "connected" to, "coupled" with, "contacting," etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting another element or an intermediate element may also be present. In contrast, if an element is described "directly" "on" another element, "directly attached" to another element, "directly connected" to another element, "directly coupled" to another element or "directly contacting" another element, there will be no intermediate elements. In the specification, a feature that is arranged "adjacent" to another feature, may denote that a feature has a part that overlaps an adjacent feature or a part located above or below the adjacent feature.

[0024] In the specification, words expressing spatial relations such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "top," and "bottom" may describe the relation between one feature and another feature in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientations shown in the accompanying drawings, the words expressing spatial relations further include different orientations of a device in use or operation. For example, when a device in the accompanying drawings rotates reversely, the features originally described as being "below" other

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) features now can be described as being "above" the other features. The device may also be oriented in other directions (rotated by 90 degrees or in other orientations), and in this case, a relative spatial relation will be explained accordingly.

[0025] A radiating element 222 according to each embodiment of the present disclosure is applicable to various types of base station antennas, for example, is applicable to beamforming antennas.

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of an antenna assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 2, a base station antenna includes an antenna assembly 200. The antenna assembly 200 includes a reflector 210 and a radiating element 222 array 220 mounted on the reflector 210. The reflector 210 may be used as a ground plane for the radiating element 222. The radiating element 222 is mounted to extend in a forward direction from the reflector 210. The radiating element 222 array 220 may include one or more high-band radiating element arrays, one or more mid-band radiating element arrays, and/or one or more low-band radiating element arrays. The low-band radiating element may, for example, be configured to operate in the 617 MHz to 960 MHz or one or more partial ranges thereof. The mid-band radiating element may, for example, be configured to operate in the 1427 MHz to 2690 MHz or one or more partial ranges thereof. The high- band radiating element may, for example, be configured to operate in the 3 GHz to 5 GHz or one or more partial ranges thereof. The radiating element 222 may be a low-band radiating element, a midband radiating element, or a high-band radiating element. In some embodiments, the radiating element 222 may also be a wide-band radiating element. In Fig. 2, the radiating element 222 is symbolically represented by an X symbol.

[0029] In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the antenna assembly 200 may include three radiating element 222 arrays 220 that extend vertically. A first array 2201 includes three first radiating elements arranged vertically; a second array 2202 includes three second radiating elements arranged

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) vertically; and a third array 2203 includes three third radiating elements arranged vertically. Here, it should be understood that the antenna assembly 200 may include any number of vertically arranged radiating element 222 arrays 220, and each radiating element 222 array 220 may include any number of vertically arranged radiating elements 222.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, two adjacent arrays 220 may be spaced apart by a first equivalent distance d_c. For example, the first array 2201 and the second array 2202 — the first radiating element and the adjacent second radiating element in Fig. 2 — may be spaced apart by the first equivalent distance d_c. Two adjacent radiating elements 222 in a single array 220 may be spaced apart by a second equivalent distance d_e. For example, two adjacent first radiating elements 222 in the first array 2201 may be spaced apart by the second equivalent distance d_e. The first equivalent distance d_c is usually not equal to the second equivalent distance d_e. In a beamforming antenna, since the vertically extending radiating element 222 arrays 220 are usually closely arranged on an elongated reflector 210 with a limited area, the first equivalent distance d_c is generally smaller than the second equivalent distance d e.

[0031] In some embodiments, the "first equivalent distance d_c" can be understood as the distance between two adjacent arrays. In some embodiments, the "first equivalent distance d_c" can be understood as the distance between the average phase centers of two adjacent radiating element groups of adjacent arrays. In some embodiments, the "second equivalent distance d_e" can be understood as the distance between the average phase centers of two adjacent radiating element groups in an array. A "radiating element group" may include at least one radiating element 222, such as 1, 2, 3, 4 or more radiating elements, the at least one radiating element is mounted on the same feed board and is fed by the same feed source, For example, fed by the same output of the phase shifter, the at least one radiating element may have an average phase center in the elevation plane. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a "radiating element group" includes exactly one radiating element 222, so the "equivalent distance" can be understood as the distance between the phase centers of the two radiating elements 222, but this should not be understood as Limitations of the invention.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) [0032] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first equivalent distance d_c may be set to, for example, 0.3 to 0.6 times a wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the array 220, such as 0.5 times a wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the array 220, and the second equivalent distance d_e may be set to, for example, a wavelength corresponding to 0.6 to 1 times a wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the central operating frequency band of the array 220. Thus, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the radiating element 222 array 220 mounted on the reflector 210 may have an asymmetric layout.

[0033] In the present disclosure, an "asymmetric layout" can encompass a variety of asymmetric arrangements. For example, the equivalent distance between one radiating element 222 and an adjacent radiating element 222 in the same array 220 is not equal to the equivalent distance between the one radiating element 222 and an adjacent radiating element 222 in an adjacent array 220. The asymmetric arrangement can also be that the radiating elements in different arrays are arranged with different intervals and/or dimensions and/or positions; the asymmetric arrangement can also be that the radiating elements in the same array are arranged with different intervals and/or dimensions and/or positions.

[0034] In the case of an asymmetric layout, if the radiators of each radiating element 222 are designed to be symmetric as in the prior art, that is, the radiators of each radiating element 222 have substantially the same extending dimension in two directions perpendicular to each other, the coupling interference of each adjacent radiating element 222 to the one radiating element 222 will also be presented in an asymmetric manner. This results in the radiating elements 222 having an asymmetric coupling environment. This asymmetric coupling environment may cause the distortion of the radiation pattern of the base station antenna, and may degrade the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna.

[0035] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a radiating element 222 for the aforementioned type of multi-array antenna. The radiating element 222 according to the present disclosure may have an asymmetric radiator which enables the radiating element 222 to have an

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) asymmetric coupling effect, such as an asymmetric edge coupling effect, so that the radiating element 222 can match the asymmetric coupling environment around the radiating element 222 to compensate for the distortion of the radiation pattern caused by the asymmetric coupling environment and improve the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna. In the present disclosure, the "asymmetric radiator" can be understood as follows: the radiator has different extending dimensions in two directions perpendicular to each other (for example, a horizontal direction H and a vertical direction V). In this way, the matching with the asymmetric coupling environment around the radiating element 222 is compensated for by the asymmetric design of the radiating element 222. Therefore, the distortion of the radiation pattern of the base station antenna can be reduced, and the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna can be improved. For example, for a cross dipole radiating element, the "radiator" refers to the crossed dipoles, and hence a cross dipole radiating element according to embodiments of the present invention that has an asymmetric radiator has crossed dipoles that together have different extending dimensions in two perpendicular directions. As another example, for a patch radiating element, the "radiator" refers to the patch radiator, and hence a patch radiating element according to embodiments of the present invention that has an asymmetric radiator has patch radiator that has different extending dimensions in two perpendicular directions.

[0036] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the radiating element 222 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has a so-called asymmetric radiator, and the asymmetric radiator has a first extending dimension d_h in a first direction (here, for example, the horizontal direction H) and a second extending dimension d_v in a second direction (here, for example, the vertical direction V) perpendicular to the first direction. The first extending dimension d_h is not equal to (here, for example, smaller than) the second extending dimension d_v. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure: the first equivalent distance d_c has a first ratio with respect to the second equivalent distance d e, and the first extending dimension d_h has a second ratio with respect to the second extending dimension d_v, wherein, the second ratio may be set to match the first ratio. In the present disclosure, "the second ratio matches the first ratio" can be understood as

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) that the range of the second ratio is associated with the first ratio. In other words, the second ratio can be set to a value within a certain range around the first ratio. For example, the absolute value of the second ratio minus the first ratio is smaller than 10%, 5%, 2% or 1% of the first ratio. In some embodiments, the second ratio may be set to substantially equal to the first ratio. In this way, the radiating element 222 having an asymmetric radiator can be matched to the asymmetric coupling environment around the radiating element 222, thereby obtaining a relatively symmetric radiation pattern of the base station antenna and improving the cross-polarization discrimination performance for the base station antenna.

[0037] As noted above, and as shown in Fig. 2, in some embodiments the radiating element 222 according to the present disclosure may be configured as a dipole radiating element. The dipole radiating element may be configured as a cross-dipole radiating element, for example, and the crossdipole radiating element includes a first dipole extending along a first axis and a second dipole extending along a second axis. The first axis may not be perpendicular to the second axis. However, it should be understood that the cross-dipole radiating element may be configured in other structural types according to actual needs. For example, in some embodiments not shown, the cross-dipole radiating element may include first dipole arm portions perpendicularly crossing each other and vertically extending second dipole arm portions bent outward from the first dipole arm portions. In some embodiments not shown, the radiating element 222 may be configured as a patch radiating element. The patch radiating element may have a rectangular, elliptical or similar outline.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a schematic front view of an antenna assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, with parasitic elements mounted between radiating element arrays of the antenna assembly.

[0039] In order to further reduce the coupling interference between the arrays 220 so as to achieve the relatively symmetric coupling interference between the radiating elements 222, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 3, parasitic elements 230 for the corresponding radiating element 222 array 220 may be additionally mounted on the reflector 210. Each parasitic element 230 may be, for example, a conductive element adjacent to one or more

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) radiating elements 222 mounted on the reflector 210 in a forward direction. The parasitic element 230 may be configured to isolate the coupling interference between adjacent radiating elements 222. As an example, the antenna assembly 200 in Fig. 3 includes nine parasitic elements 230 extending in the vertical direction V, namely, parasitic elements 2301 to 2309. These parasitic elements 2301 to 2309 are respectively arranged on both sides (in the horizontal direction H) of each radiating element 222 of radiating element 222 array 220. It should be understood that the arrangement of the parasitic elements 230 shown in Fig. 3 is only an exemplary embodiment, and the number and arrangement of the parasitic elements 230 can be changed according to actual needs. For example, the antenna assembly 200 may further include a plurality of parasitic elements 230 extending in the horizontal direction H, and the parasitic elements 230 are respectively arranged on both sides (in the vertical direction) of the radiating elements 222 of the radiating element array 220. By arranging the parasitic elements 230 around the radiating element 222, the coupling interference effect on the corresponding radiating element 222 can be further reduced, thereby creating a relatively symmetric isolation environment for each radiating element 222, and further improving the radiation pattern of the base station antenna (especially at a large horizontal scanning angle, such as at a horizontal scanning angle of 46°) and further improving the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna.

[0040] In some embodiments, the adjacent radiating element 222 arrays 220 may be designed to be staggered, as illustrated in Fig. 4. In other words, the feed points of the radiating elements 222 in the adjacent arrays 220 (e.g., first array 2201', second array 2202', third array 2203') may be staggered in the vertical direction V, that is, they are no longer horizontally aligned. As a result, the spatial distance between the radiators (for example, dipole radiators) of the same polarization of the adjacent radiating elements 222 can be increased, so that the isolation between the radiating elements 222 in two adjacent arrays 220 can be improved. In this way, the coupling interference between the radiating element 222 arrays 220 can be further reduced, and thus the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna can be further improved.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) [0041] Fig. 5 is a radiation pattern of a base station antenna according to the present disclosure at a horizontal scanning angle of 46°. It can be clearly seen from Fig. 5 that the base station antenna according to the present disclosure can still obtain a good cross-polarization discrimination (here, for example, -23 dB) even at a large horizontal scanning angle (here, for example, a horizontal scanning angle of 46°). Therefore, it can be seen that the base station antenna according to the present disclosure can obtain good cross-polarization discrimination performance within a relatively wide scanning angle range.

[0042] The antenna assembly 200 according to the present disclosure can bring one or more of the following advantages: first, in the case where the radiating element 222 array 220 has an asymmetric layout, the radiating elements 222 having asymmetric radiators are used to match the originally asymmetric coupling environment so as to achieve the relatively symmetric coupling interference between the radiating elements 222; second, the base station antenna has a simplified structure and is easy to assemble and disassemble; third, a relatively symmetric radiation pattern of the base station antenna can be obtained within a relatively wide scanning angle range, and thus the cross-polarization discrimination performance of the base station antenna can be improved.

[0043] Aspects of the present disclosure provide at least the following examples of embodiments. Some embodiments of the present disclosure include or provide a radiating element for a beamforming antenna array, the beamforming antenna array including a vertically-extending first array and an adjacent vertically-extending second array, the first array and the second array spaced apart from each other by a first equivalent distance, with two adjacent radiating elements in the first array and/or the second array being spaced apart by a second equivalent distance. The first equivalent distance is not equal to the second equivalent distance. The radiating element may include an asymmetric radiator having a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first extending dimension is not equal to the second extending dimension, the first equivalent distance has a first ratio with respect to the second equivalent distance, the first extending dimension has a second ratio with respect to the second extending dimension, and the second ratio is set to match the first ratio.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) [0044] In some embodiments the second ratio is set to be substantially equal to the first ratio. In some embodiments, the first extending dimension is smaller than the second extending dimension. In some embodiments, the radiating element is configured as a dipole radiating element. In some embodiments, the radiating element is configured as a cross-dipole radiating element, and the crossdipole radiating element includes a first dipole extending along a first axis and a second dipole extending along a second axis. In some embodiments, the first axis is not perpendicular to the second axis.

[0045] In some embodiments, the radiating element is configured as a patch radiating element. In some embodiments, the patch radiating element has a rectangular or elliptical outline.

[0046] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include or provide a radiating element configured as a cross-dipole radiating element having a radiator that comprises: a first dipole extending along a first axis; and a second dipole extending along a second axis. The radiator may have a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, with the first extending dimension not equal to the second extending dimension.

[0047] In some embodiments, the first axis is not perpendicular to the second axis. In some embodiments, the first extending dimension is smaller than the second extending dimension.

[0048] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include or provide an antenna assembly including a beamforming antenna array, the beamforming antenna array including a vertically- extending first array and an adjacent, vertically-extending second array, the first array and the second array spaced apart by a first equivalent distance, with two adjacent radiating elements in the first array and/or the second array are spaced apart by a second equivalent distance. The first equivalent distance is not equal to the second equivalent distance. One radiating element of the antenna assembly has an asymmetric radiator having a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The extending dimension is not equal to the second extending dimension. The first equivalent distance has a first

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) ratio with respect to the second equivalent distance, the first extending dimension has a second ratio with respect to the second extending dimension, and the second ratio is set to match the first ratio.

[0049] In some embodiments, the second ratio is set to be substantially equal to the first ratio. In some embodiments, the first equivalent distance is smaller than the second equivalent distance. In some embodiments, the first equivalent distance is 0.3 to 0.6 times a wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the operating frequency band of the beamforming antenna array, and the second equivalent distance is 0.6 to 1 times a wavelength corresponding to the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the beamforming antenna array. In some embodiments, the first equivalent distance is substantially 0.5 times a wavelength corresponding to a center frequency of the operating frequency band of the beamforming antenna array. In some embodiments, the radiating elements of the first array are staggered with respect to the radiating elements of the second array in a vertical direction.

[0050] In some embodiments, the antenna assembly includes a parasitic element extending vertically, and the parasitic element is arranged on a side of the first array and/or the second array in a horizontal direction.

[0051] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include or provide an antenna assembly comprising a beamforming antenna array with an asymmetric layout, and a radiating element having an asymmetric radiator arranged in the antenna array with an asymmetric layout. In some embodiments, the radiating element has an asymmetric radiator that has an asymmetric layout that is used to at least partially balance the antenna array.

[0052] In some embodiments, the antenna array includes a vertically-extending first array and an adjacent, vertically-extending second array, the first array and the second array are spaced apart by a first equivalent distance, and two adjacent radiating elements in the first array and/or the second array are spaced apart by a second equivalent distance. The first equivalent distance is not equal to the second equivalent distance, and the asymmetric radiator has a first extending dimension in a first direction and a second extending dimension in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, with the first extending dimension not equal to the second extending dimension. The first

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) equivalent distance has a first ratio with respect to the second equivalent distance, the first extending dimension has a second ratio with respect to the second extending dimension, and the second ratio is set to match the first ratio. In some embodimentsm the second ratio is set to be substantially equal to the first ratio.

[0053] Some embodiments of the present disclosure include or provide a base station antenna, where the base station antenna includes: an array of the radiating elements for a beamforming antenna array according to any one or more of the various examples provided herein.

[0054] Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art should understand that many variations and modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, all variations and changes are included in the protection scope of the present disclosure defined by the claims. The present disclosure is defined by the attached claims, and equivalents of these claims are also included.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)