Showing papers on "Antenna (radio) published in 2019"
TL;DR: This paper offers the first in-depth look at the vast applications of THz wireless products and applications and provides approaches for how to reduce power and increase performance across several problem domains, giving early evidence that THz techniques are compelling and available for future wireless communications.
Abstract: Frequencies from 100 GHz to 3 THz are promising bands for the next generation of wireless communication systems because of the wide swaths of unused and unexplored spectrum. These frequencies also offer the potential for revolutionary applications that will be made possible by new thinking, and advances in devices, circuits, software, signal processing, and systems. This paper describes many of the technical challenges and opportunities for wireless communication and sensing applications above 100 GHz, and presents a number of promising discoveries, novel approaches, and recent results that will aid in the development and implementation of the sixth generation (6G) of wireless networks, and beyond. This paper shows recent regulatory and standard body rulings that are anticipating wireless products and services above 100 GHz and illustrates the viability of wireless cognition, hyper-accurate position location, sensing, and imaging. This paper also presents approaches and results that show how long distance mobile communications will be supported to above 800 GHz since the antenna gains are able to overcome air-induced attenuation, and present methods that reduce the computational complexity and simplify the signal processing used in adaptive antenna arrays, by exploiting the Special Theory of Relativity to create a cone of silence in over-sampled antenna arrays that improve performance for digital phased array antennas. Also, new results that give insights into power efficient beam steering algorithms, and new propagation and partition loss models above 100 GHz are given, and promising imaging, array processing, and position location results are presented. The implementation of spatial consistency at THz frequencies, an important component of channel modeling that considers minute changes and correlations over space, is also discussed. This paper offers the first in-depth look at the vast applications of THz wireless products and applications and provides approaches for how to reduce power and increase performance across several problem domains, giving early evidence that THz techniques are compelling and available for future wireless communications.
1,352 citations
TL;DR: This work fabricates a fully flexible and integrated rectenna that achieves wireless energy harvesting of electromagnetic radiation in the Wi-Fi band with zero external bias (battery-free) and provides a universal energy-harvesting building block that can be integrated with various flexible electronic systems.
Abstract: The mechanical and electronic properties of two-dimensional materials make them promising for use in flexible electronics1–3. Their atomic thickness and large-scale synthesis capability could enable the development of ‘smart skin’1,3–5, which could transform ordinary objects into an intelligent distributed sensor network6. However, although many important components of such a distributed electronic system have already been demonstrated (for example, transistors, sensors and memory devices based on two-dimensional materials1,2,4,7), an efficient, flexible and always-on energy-harvesting solution, which is indispensable for self-powered systems, is still missing. Electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi systems operating at 2.4 and 5.9 gigahertz8 is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and would be ideal to harvest for powering future distributed electronics. However, the high frequencies used for Wi-Fi communications have remained elusive to radiofrequency harvesters (that is, rectennas) made of flexible semiconductors owing to their limited transport properties9–12. Here we demonstrate an atomically thin and flexible rectenna based on a MoS2 semiconducting–metallic-phase heterojunction with a cutoff frequency of 10 gigahertz, which represents an improvement in speed of roughly one order of magnitude compared with current state-of-the-art flexible rectifiers9–12. This flexible MoS2-based rectifier operates up to the X-band8 (8 to 12 gigahertz) and covers most of the unlicensed industrial, scientific and medical radio band, including the Wi-Fi channels. By integrating the ultrafast MoS2 rectifier with a flexible Wi-Fi-band antenna, we fabricate a fully flexible and integrated rectenna that achieves wireless energy harvesting of electromagnetic radiation in the Wi-Fi band with zero external bias (battery-free). Moreover, our MoS2 rectifier acts as a flexible mixer, realizing frequency conversion beyond 10 gigahertz. This work provides a universal energy-harvesting building block that can be integrated with various flexible electronic systems. Integration of an ultrafast flexible rectifier made from a two-dimensional material with a flexible antenna achieves wireless energy harvesting of Wi-Fi radiation, which could power future flexible electronic systems.
230 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explain how the first chapter of the massive MIMO research saga has come to an end, while the story has just begun, and outline five new massive antenna array related research directions.
Abstract: Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) is no longer a "wild" or "promising" concept for future cellular networks - in 2018 it became a reality. Base stations (BSs) with 64 fully digital transceiver chains were commercially deployed in several countries, the key ingredients of Massive MIMO have made it into the 5G standard, the signal processing methods required to achieve unprecedented spectral efficiency have been developed, and the limitation due to pilot contamination has been resolved. Even the development of fully digital Massive MIMO arrays for mmWave frequencies - once viewed prohibitively complicated and costly - is well underway. In a few years, Massive MIMO with fully digital transceivers will be a mainstream feature at both sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies. In this paper, we explain how the first chapter of the Massive MIMO research saga has come to an end, while the story has just begun. The coming wide-scale deployment of BSs with massive antenna arrays opens the door to a brand new world where spatial processing capabilities are omnipresent. In addition to mobile broadband services, the antennas can be used for other communication applications, such as low-power machine-type or ultra-reliable communications, as well as non-communication applications such as radar, sensing and positioning. We outline five new Massive MIMO related research directions: Extremely large aperture arrays, Holographic Massive MIMO, Six-dimensional positioning, Large-scale MIMO radar, and Intelligent Massive MIMO.
186 citations
Patent•
AT&T1
TL;DR: In this paper, a cable comprising a core is coupled to the feed point of a dielectric antenna, and the first electromagnetic waves propagate along the core without requiring an electrical return path.
Abstract: In accordance with one or more embodiments, a communication device includes a dielectric antenna having a longitudinal axis, a feed point and an aperture. A cable comprising a core is coupled to the feed point of the dielectric antenna. A transmitter, coupled to the cable, facilitates a transmission of first electromagnetic waves to the feed point of the dielectric antenna, the first electromagnetic waves guided by the core. The first electromagnetic waves propagate along the core without requiring an electrical return path, and the first electromagnetic waves generate free-space wireless signals from the aperture of the antenna in accordance with a hollow-boresight antenna beam pattern.
183 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: Three new multiple antenna technologies that can play key roles in beyond 5G networks: cell-free massive MIMO, beamspace massive M IMO, and intelligent reflecting surfaces are surveyed.
Abstract: Multiple antenna technologies have attracted large research interest for several decades and have gradually made their way into mainstream communication systems. Two main benefits are adaptive beamforming gains and spatial multiplexing, leading to high data rates per user and per cell, especially when large antenna arrays are used. Now that multiple antenna technology has become a key component of the fifth-generation (5G) networks, it is time for the research community to look for new multiple antenna applications to meet the immensely higher data rate, reliability, and traffic demands in the beyond 5G era. We need radically new approaches to achieve orders-of-magnitude improvements in these metrics and this will be connected to large technical challenges, many of which are yet to be identified. In this survey paper, we present a survey of three new multiple antenna related research directions that might play a key role in beyond 5G networks: Cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), beamspace massive MIMO, and intelligent reflecting surfaces. More specifically, the fundamental motivation and key characteristics of these new technologies are introduced. Recent technical progress is also presented. Finally, we provide a list of other prospective future research directions.
163 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a compact self-decoupled antenna structure is proposed for the fifth-generation MIMO operation in mobile terminals, which consists of two adjacent antenna elements, which are placed very close (1.2 mm or 0.014λ) to each other and located on the same side of the system ground plane.
Abstract: In this letter, a compact self-decoupled antenna structure is proposed for the fifth-generation multiple-input--multiple-output (MIMO) operation in mobile terminals. The antenna structure consists of two adjacent antenna elements, which are placed very close (1.2 mm or 0.014λ) to each other and located on the same side of the system ground plane. By sharing one common grounding branch for the two adjacent antenna elements, a compact self-decoupled antenna pair can be obtained. The MIMO antenna system is optimized to operate in the 3.5 GHz (3.4–3.6 GHz) band with isolation better than –17 dB. An antenna prototype is fabricated, and good agreement between simulation and measurement is obtained.
158 citations
TL;DR: The proposed MIMO antenna offers good S-parameters, high-gain radiation patterns, and sufficient total efficiencies, even though it is arranged on a high-loss FR-4 dielectric.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose an eight-port/four-resonator slot antenna array with a dual-polarized function for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) 5G mobile terminals. The design is composed of four dual-polarized square-ring slot radiators fed by pairs of microstrip-line structures. The radiation elements are designed to operate at 3.6 GHz and are located on the corners of the smartphone PCB. The square-ring slot radiators provide good dual-polarization characteristic with similar performances in terms of fundamental radiation characteristics. In order to improve the isolation and also reduce the mutual coupling characteristic between the adjunct microstrip-line feeding ports of the dual-polarized radiators, a pair of circular-ring/open-ended parasitic structures is embedded across each square-ring slot radiator. The −10-dB impedance bandwidth of each antenna-element is 3.4–3.8 GHz. However, for −6-dB impedance bandwidth, this value is 600 MHz (3.3–3.9 GHz). The proposed MIMO antenna offers good S-parameters, high-gain radiation patterns, and sufficient total efficiencies, even though it is arranged on a high-loss FR-4 dielectric. The SAR function and the radiation characteristics of the proposed design in the vicinity of user-hand/user-head are studied. A prototype of the proposed smartphone antenna is fabricated, and good measurements are provided. The antenna provides good features with a potential application for use in the 5G mobile terminals.
156 citations
TL;DR: A new technique for communication information embedding into the emission of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar using sparse antenna array configurations, which shows that by reconfiguring sparse transmit array through antenna selection and reordering waveform-antenna pairing, a data rate of megabits per second can be achieved for a moderate number of transmit antennas.
Abstract: Spectrum congestion and competition over frequency bandwidth could be alleviated by deploying dual-function radar-communications systems, where the radar platform presents itself as a system of opportunity to secondary communication functions. In this paper, we propose a new technique for communication information embedding into the emission of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar using sparse antenna array configurations. The phases induced by antenna displacements in a sensor array are unique, which makes array configuration feasible for symbol embedding. We also exploit the fact that in a MIMO radar system, the association of independent waveforms with the transmit antennas can change over different pulse repetition periods without impacting the radar functionality. We show that by reconfiguring sparse transmit array through antenna selection and reordering waveform-antenna pairing, a data rate of megabits per second can be achieved for a moderate number of transmit antennas. To counteract practical implementation issues, we propose a regularized antenna-selection-based signaling scheme. The possible data rate is analyzed and the symbol/bit error rates are derived. Simulation examples are provided for performance evaluations and to demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed dual-function radar-communication techniques.
147 citations
TL;DR: This paper is focused on providing the analytical framework for the quantification and evaluation of the joint effect of misalignment fading and hardware imperfections in the presence of multipath fading at terahertz (THz) wireless fiber extenders by providing novel closed-form expressions for the probability and cumulative density functions of the composite channel.
Abstract: This paper is focused on providing the analytical framework for the quantification and evaluation of the joint effect of misalignment fading and hardware imperfections in the presence of multipath fading at terahertz (THz) wireless fiber extenders. In this context, we present the appropriate system model that incorporates the different operation, design, and environmental parameters. In more detail, it takes into account the transceivers antenna gains, the operation frequency, the distance between the transmitter (TX) and the receiver (RX), the environmental conditions, i.e., temperature, humidity, and pressure, the spatial jitter between the TX and RX antennas that results to antennas misalignment, the level of transceivers' hardware imperfections, and the stochastic characteristics of the wireless channel. Based on this model, we analyze and quantify the joint impact of misalignment and multipath fading by providing novel closed-form expressions for the probability and cumulative density functions of the composite channel. Moreover, we derive exact closed-form expressions for the outage probability for both cases of ideal and non-ideal radio frequency (RF) front-end. In addition, in order to quantify the detrimental effect of misalignment fading, we analytically obtain the outage probability in the absence of misalignment cases for both cases of ideal and non-ideal RF front-end. In addition, we extract the novel closed-form expressions for the ergodic capacity for the case of the ideal RF front-end and tight upper bounds for both the cases of ideal and non-ideal RF front-end. Finally, an insightful ergodic capacity ceiling for the non-ideal RF front-end case is provided.
146 citations
TL;DR: A novel detector for terahertz radiation that exploits the photothermoelectric (PTE) effect is introduced, based on a design that employs a dual-gated, dipolar antenna with a gap of ∼100 nm and a solid understanding of how the PTE effect gives rise to a THz-induced photoresponse is reached.
Abstract: Although the detection of light at terahertz (THz) frequencies is important for a large range of applications, current detectors typically have several disadvantages in terms of sensitivity, speed, operating temperature, and spectral range. Here, we use graphene as a photoactive material to overcome all of these limitations in one device. We introduce a novel detector for terahertz radiation that exploits the photothermoelectric (PTE) effect, based on a design that employs a dual-gated, dipolar antenna with a gap of ∼100 nm. This narrow-gap antenna simultaneously creates a pn junction in a graphene channel located above the antenna and strongly concentrates the incoming radiation at this pn junction, where the photoresponse is created. We demonstrate that this novel detector has an excellent sensitivity, with a noise-equivalent power of 80 pW/[Formula: see text] at room temperature, a response time below 30 ns (setup-limited), a high dynamic range (linear power dependence over more than 3 orders of magnitude) and broadband operation (measured range 1.8-4.2 THz, antenna-limited), which fulfills a combination that is currently missing in the state-of-the-art detectors. Importantly, on the basis of the agreement we obtained between experiment, analytical model, and numerical simulations, we have reached a solid understanding of how the PTE effect gives rise to a THz-induced photoresponse, which is very valuable for further detector optimization.
145 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a dual-band shared-aperture antenna based on the concept of structure reuse is proposed, which consists of a patch antenna working at 3.5 GHz and a $12 \times 12$ substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) slot array antenna working on 60 GHz.
Abstract: The operating frequency of future communication systems will cover unlicensed millimeter-wave bands as well as existing microwave bands. Large frequency ratio antennas that can be applied to both frequency bands simultaneously and maintain the high isolation between the two channels are difficult to design. This paper presents a new design of dual-band shared-aperture antenna based on the concept of structure reuse. The antenna consists of a patch antenna working at 3.5 GHz and a $12 \times 12$ substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) slot array antenna working at 60 GHz. The frequency ratio of this shared-aperture antenna is 17. In this design, the overall structure of the SIW slot array antenna is employed as the radiator of the patch antenna. With this new scheme, the high aperture reuse efficiency can be achieved. Meanwhile, the millimeter-wave antenna based on the SIW technology has the high-pass nature to reject the lower frequency signal. A compact microstrip resonant cell that acts as a low-pass filter is connected in series on the feedline of the microwave antenna to suppress the upper frequency signal. Thus, the channel isolation between the patch and the SIW slot array antennas can be more than 130 dB at 3.5 GHz and 65 dB at 60 GHz.
TL;DR: The proposed technique can be applied retrospectively and is applicable in closely placed patch antennas in arrays found in multiple-input multiple-output and radar systems.
Abstract: An approach is proposed to reduce mutual coupling between two closely spaced radiating elements. This is achieved by inserting a fractal isolator between the radiating elements. The fractal isolator is an electromagnetic bandgap structure based on metamaterial. With this technique, the gap between radiators is reduced to $\sim 0.65\lambda $ for the reduction in the mutual coupling of up to 37, 21, 20, and 31 dB in the ${X}$ -, Ku -, ${K}$ -, and Ka -bands, respectively. With the proposed technique, the two-element antenna is shown to operate over a wide frequency range, i.e., 8.7–11.7, 11.9–14.6, 15.6–17.1, 22–26, and 29–34.2 GHz. Maximum gain improvement is 71% with no deterioration in the radiation patterns. The antenna’s characteristics were validated through measurement. The proposed technique can be applied retrospectively and is applicable in closely placed patch antennas in arrays found in multiple-input multiple-output and radar systems.
TL;DR: The proposed dual-band eight-antenna array for multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) applications in 5G mobile terminals can maintain acceptable radiation and MIMO performance in the presence of specific anthropomorphic mannequin head and human hands.
Abstract: This paper proposes a dual-band eight-antenna array for multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) applications in 5G mobile terminals. The designed MIMO antenna array comprises eight L-shaped slot antennas based on stepped impedance resonators (SIRs). The required dual-resonance can be obtained by adjusting the impedance ratio of the SIR, and good impedance matching can be ensured for each antenna element by tuning the position of the microstrip feed line. The experimental results show that a measured return loss of higher than 10 dB and a measured inter-element isolation of greater than 11.2 dB have been obtained for each antenna element with a simulated total efficiency of larger than 51% across the long term evolution (LTE) band 42 (3400-3600 MHz) and LTE band 46 (5150-5925 MHz). In addition, the measured envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) is lower than 0.1 between arbitrary two antenna elements, and the proposed MIMO antenna array realizes a simulated channel capacity of higher than 36.9 bps/Hz within both operation bands. Furthermore, the MIMO antenna array can maintain acceptable radiation and MIMO performance in the presence of specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) head and human hands.
27 Aug 2019
TL;DR: AiP technology has emerged as the mainstream antenna and packaging technology for various mmWave applications, and some recommendations on research topics are presented to further the state of the art of AiP technology.
Abstract: Antenna-in-package (AiP) technology, in which there is an antenna (or antennas) with a transceiver die (or dies) in a standard surface-mounted device, represents an important antenna and packaging technology achievement in recent years. AiP technology has been widely adopted by chipmakers for 60-GHz radios and gesture radars. It has also found applications in 77-GHz automotive radars, 94-GHz phased arrays, 122-GHz imaging sensors, and 300-GHz wireless links. It is believed that AiP technology will also provide elegant antenna and packaging solutions to the fifth generation and beyond operating in the lower millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands. Thus, one can conclude that AiP technology has emerged as the mainstream antenna and packaging technology for various mmWave applications. This article will provide an overview of the development of AiP technology. It will consider antennas, packages, and interconnects for AiP technology. It will show that the antenna choice is usually based on those popular antennas that can be easily designed for the application, that the package choice is governed for automatic assembly, and that the materials and processes choices involve tradeoffs among constraints, such as electrical performance, thermal–mechanical reliability, compactness, manufacturability, and cost. This article also shows a probe-based setup to measure mmWave AiP impedance and radiation characteristics. It goes on to give AiP examples implemented, respectively, in a low-temperature co-fired ceramic, an embedded wafer level ball grid array process, and a high-density interconnect processes. Finally, this article will summarize and present some recommendations on research topics to further the state of the art of AiP technology.
TL;DR: Due to the advantages such as multiband operation, MIMO configuration for 5G communications, high isolation, and compact structure, the proposed antenna design is attractive for 4G/5G smartphones.
Abstract: In this paper, multiband antennas based on a single ring slot are proposed for 4G/5G smartphone applications. The basic structure of the antenna is consisted of a large metal ground and an unbroken metal rim, in which a single 2 mm-wide ring slots is realized between the metal ground and rim. Here, a reconfigurable 4G antenna (820–960 and 1710–2690 MHz) is initially devised by loading multiple grounded stubs and a simple dc controlling circuit with varactor diode into the upper section of the ring slot. To further cover the sub-6 GHz spectrum (3400–3600 MHz) for future 5G communications, a four-element multi-input multi-output (MIMO) slot antennas configuration is designed by utilizing the lower section of the ring slot. A prototype antenna was fabricated, and good agreement is shown between the measured and simulated results. Due to the advantages such as multiband operation, MIMO configuration for 5G communications, high isolation, and compact structure, the proposed antenna design is attractive for 4G/5G smartphones.
TL;DR: In this paper, a novel filtering method based on the metasurface antenna (MSA) with radiation nulls is proposed without loading extra circuits, which can achieve the wideband filtering response in a low profile, as well as high gain with high aperture efficiency.
Abstract: A novel filtering method based on the metasurface antenna (MSA) with radiation nulls is proposed without loading extra circuits. Due to the specific multiunit structure of MSA, the filtering method is first realized on each radiating metasurface (MS) unit by introducing a multifolded U-shaped slot and a defected ground structure to generate lower edge radiation nulls. Meanwhile, coplanar parasitic patches are loaded around the MS units to provide upper edge nulls and simultaneously introduce extra in-band resonances for wide passband. Thus, a low-profile, wideband, and high-gain filtering antenna is readily constructed. To verify the concept, a prototype with a low profile of only $0.04\lambda _{{0}}$ is designed and fabricated. The simulated and measured results agree well, demonstrating a good performance with large impedance bandwidth of about 20%, high average gain of 8 dBi, and high aperture efficiency of about 90%, together with high out-of-band suppression levels of about 20 dB. In addition, the radiation patterns are symmetric in both the E- and H-planes with cross-polarization suppressions of over 20 dB. Compared with the reported filtering antennas, the proposed filtering MSA can achieve the wideband filtering response in a low profile, as well as high gain with high aperture efficiency.
TL;DR: In this article, a 3D-printed Luneburg lens with a simplified geometry is presented, where rod-type structures are employed as the unit cell of the gradient-index material to realize the required permittivity distribution in the lens.
Abstract: A 3-D-printed Luneburg lens with a novel simplified geometry is presented. The rod-type structures are employed as the unit cell of the gradient-index material to realize the required permittivity distribution in the lens. A prototype designed in the Ka -band is manufactured successfully by using a commercial 3-D printing facility. The substrate-integrated waveguide fed magnetoelectric (ME)-dipole antenna with endfire radiation is introduced as the feed for the Luneburg lens due to its wideband performance and compact configuration. By combining the lens with a set of the ME-dipoles, a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) multibeam Luneburg lens antenna is designed, fabricated, and measured. An overlapped impedance bandwidth of wider than 40% that can cover the entire Ka -band and mutual coupling below −17 dB are verified by the fabricated prototype. Nine stable radiation beams with a scanning range between ±61°, gain up to 21.2 dBi with a variation of 2.6 dB, and radiation efficiency of around 75% are achieved as well. With the advantages of good operating features, low fabrication costs, and ease of integration, the proposed multibeam Luneburg lens antenna would be a promising candidate for the fifth-generation (5G) mm-wave multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) applications in 28 and 38 GHz bands.
TL;DR: In this article, the phase shift on an electromagnetic wave from a horn antenna is measured as the antenna is placed at different distances from the Rydberg atom sensor, which allows the authors to measure the propagation constant of the RF wave to within 0.1% of the theoretical value.
Abstract: Rydberg atoms have been shown to be very useful in performing absolute measurements of the magnitude of a radio frequency (RF) field using electromagnetically induced transparency. However, there has been less success in using Rydberg atoms for the measurement of the phase of an RF field. Measuring the phase of a RF field is a necessary component for many important applications, including antenna metrology, communications, and radar. We demonstrate a scheme for measuring the phase of an RF field by using Rydberg atoms as a mixer to down-convert an RF field at 20 GHz to an intermediate frequency on the order of kHz. The phase of the intermediate frequency corresponds directly to the phase of the RF field. We use this approach to measure the phase shift on an electromagnetic wave from a horn antenna as the antenna is placed at different distances from the Rydberg atom sensor. The atom-based RF phase measurements allow us to measure the propagation constant of the RF wave to within 0.1% of the theoretical value.
TL;DR: A new, portable, and low-cost microwave imaging (MWI) system using an iterative enhancing technique for breast imaging that has been able to perform the detection of tumorous cells in breast phantom that can pave the way to saving lives.
Abstract: Globally, breast cancer is a major reason for female mortality. Due to the limitations of current clinical imaging, the researchers are encouraged to explore alternative and complementary tools to available techniques to detect the breast tumor in an earlier stage. This article outlines a new, portable, and low-cost microwave imaging (MWI) system using an iterative enhancing technique for breast imaging. A compact side slotted tapered slot antenna is designed for microwave imaging. The radiating fins of tapered slot antenna are modified by etching nine rectangular side slots. The irregular slots on the radiating fins enhance the electrical length as well as produce strong directive radiation due to the suppression of induced surface currents that radiate vertically at the outer edges of the radiating arms with end-fire direction. It has remarkable effects on efficiency and gain. With the addition of slots, the side-lobe levels are reduced, the gain of the main-lobe is increased and corrects the squint effects simultaneously, thus improving the characteristics of the radiation. For experimental validation, a heterogeneous breast phantom was developed that contains dielectric properties identical to real breast tissues with the inclusion of tumors. An alternative PC controlled and microcontroller-based mechanical MWI system is designed and developed to collect the antenna scattering signal. The radiated backscattered signals from the targeted area of the human body are analyzed to reveal the changes in dielectric properties in tissues. The dielectric constants of tumorous cells are higher than that of normal tissues due to their higher water content. The remarkable deviation of the scattered field is processed by using newly proposed Iteratively Corrected Delay and Sum (IC-DAS) algorithm and the reconstruction of the image of the phantom interior is done. The developed UWB (Ultra-Wideband) antenna based MWI has been able to perform the detection of tumorous cells in breast phantom that can pave the way to saving lives.
TL;DR: This work reviews some recently proposed reconfigurable antenna designs suitable for use in wireless communications such as cognitive-ratio (CR), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), ultra-wideband (UWB), and 4G/5G mobile terminals.
Abstract: Reconfigurable antennas play important roles in smart and adaptive systems and are the subject of many research studies. They offer several advantages such as multifunctional capabilities, minimized volume requirements, low front-end processing efforts with no need for a filtering element, good isolation, and sufficient out-of-band rejection; these make them well suited for use in wireless applications such as fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) mobile terminals. With the use of active materials such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), varactor or p-i-n (PIN) diodes, an antenna’s characteristics can be changed through altering the current flow on the antenna structure. If an antenna is to be reconfigurable into many different states, it needs to have an adequate number of active elements. However, a large number of high-quality active elements increases cost, and necessitates complex biasing networks and control circuitry. We review some recently proposed reconfigurable antenna designs suitable for use in wireless communications such as cognitive-ratio (CR), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), ultra-wideband (UWB), and 4G/5G mobile terminals. Several examples of antennas with different reconfigurability functions are analyzed and their performances are compared. Characteristics and fundamental properties of reconfigurable antennas with single and multiple reconfigurability modes are investigated.
TL;DR: A dual-band four-element multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) antenna system based on compact self-decoupled antenna pairs is proposed for the fifth-generation (5G) operation in mobile terminals and a good agreement between the simulation and measurement is obtained.
Abstract: In this paper, a dual-band four-element multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) antenna system based on compact self-decoupled antenna pairs is proposed for the fifth-generation (5G) operation in mobile terminals. By sharing one common grounding branch for the two adjacent antenna units, dual-band antenna pairs with high isolation can be obtained. In particular, the two compact antenna pairs are placed perpendicularly on both sides of the system ground plane. The MIMO antenna system is optimized to operate in both 3.5 GHz (3.4–3.6 GHz) and 4.9 GHz (4.8–5.0 GHz) bands with isolation better than −17.5 dB for the low band and −20 dB for the high band. The proposed dual-band four-antenna MIMO system is fabricated and measured, and a good agreement between the simulation and measurement is obtained. Moreover, the influences of the phantom hand and display panel on the performance of the MIMO antenna system are also studied and discussed.
TL;DR: In this letter, a wearable all-textile metasurface antenna for 5 GHz wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is proposed and on-body studies show that the MSA is suitable for wearable applications.
Abstract: In this letter, a wearable all-textile metasurface antenna (MSA) for 5 GHz wireless body area network (WBAN) applications is proposed. All the components of the proposed MSA are made of the comfort textile materials. A metasurface with high permittivity values is placed right above a wide-bandwidth planar inverted-F antenna to realize size miniaturization and gain enhancement. The proposed MSA has a profile of 4 mm (0.07 λ 0) and occupies an area of 42 mm × 28 mm (0.77 λ 0 × 0.51 λ 0). Moreover, this antenna realizes a measured peak gain of 6.70 dBi, an average efficiency of 77%, and an operating band from 4.96 to 5.90 GHz that covers the 5 GHz WBAN band. In addition, the on-body studies show that the MSA is suitable for wearable applications.
TL;DR: The imaging results indicate the possibility of using the designed conformal array to detect a bleeding inside the brain using a confocal image algorithm.
Abstract: Given the increased interest in a fast, portable, and on-spot medical diagnostic tool that enables early diagnosis for patients with brain stroke, a new approach of a wearable electromagnetic head imaging system based on the polymer material is proposed. A flexible low-profile, wideband, and unidirectional antenna array with electromagnetic band gap (EBG) and metamaterial (MTM) unit cells reflector is utilized. The designed antenna consists of a 4 × 4 radiating patch loaded with symmetrical extended open-ended U-slots and fed by combination of series and corporate transmission lines. A mushroom-like 10-EBG unit cell arrays are arranged around the feeding network to reduce surface waves, whereas 4 × 4 MTM unit cells are placed on the back-side of the antenna to enable unidirectional radiation. The antenna is designed and embedded on a multilayer low cost, low loss, transparent, and robust polymer poly-di-methyl-siloxane (PDMS) substrate and optimized to operate in contact with the human head. The simulated and measured results show that the antenna has a fractional bandwidth of 53.8% (1.16–1.94 GHz), more than 80% of radiation efficiency, and satisfactory field penetration in the head tissues with a safe specific absorption rate. An eight-element array is then configured on 300 × 360 × 4.1 mm3 PDMS material covering an average human head size and used as a worn part of the imaging system. A realistic-shaped 3-D specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) head phantom is used to verify the performance of the designed array. The imaging results indicate the possibility of using the designed conformal array to detect a bleeding inside the brain using a confocal image algorithm.
TL;DR: The proposed design proves that 5G mm-wave antennas can be embedded to 4G systems without greatly sacrificing display size or sub-6 GHz antenna performance.
Abstract: Fifth generation (5G) mobile networks will introduce several new frequencies for short-range high-capacity communications. Future handsets must also support current frequency bands for backward compatibility and long-range communications. This paper presents a proof-of-concept solution for co-designed millimeter-wave (mm-wave) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) antennas in a metal-rimmed handset. The design shows that both antenna types can be accommodated in a shared volume and be integrated into the same structure. Presented antennas operate at 700–960 MHz, 1710–2690 MHz, and 25–30 GHz. Simulations and measurements suggest that the system can be designed in such a way that the mm-wave antenna does not hinder the low-band performance. LTE antennas generally reach over 60% total efficiency while the mm-wave module has a peak gain of 7 dBi with measurement-verified beam-steering capability. The proposed design proves that 5G mm-wave antennas can be embedded to 4G systems without greatly sacrificing display size or sub-6 GHz antenna performance.
TL;DR: The novelty of this paper is the collocation of a high- frequencies end-fire 5G antenna array with an old-generation low-frequency antenna, such as 4G in small space in the mobile terminal, without interfering with the radiation pattern and impedance matching of both low- and high-frequency antennas.
Abstract: In this paper, a novel technique of collocating a millimeter-wave end-fire 5G beam steerable array antenna with a low-frequency planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) is presented. In this technique, the low-frequency antenna can be transparent by using some grating strips between the low- and high-frequency antennas. A quad-element mm-wave array with end-fire radiation patterns operating in 22–31 GHz is integrated with a dual-band low-frequency PIFA in a mobile terminal. The novelty of this paper is the collocation of a high-frequency end-fire 5G antenna array with an old-generation low-frequency antenna, such as 4G in small space in the mobile terminal, without interfering with the radiation pattern and impedance matching of both low- and high-frequency antennas. The proposed 5G antenna covers 22–31 GHz and can scan ±50° with the scan loss of better than 3 dB. The coverage efficiency of the proposed mm-wave 5G antenna is better than 50% and 80% for a minimum gain of 4 and 0 dBi in 22–31 GHz, respectively. The gain of the high-frequency antenna array is better than 9.5 dBi at 28 GHz. The low-frequency antenna covers some practical 4G LTE bands from 740–960 MHz and 1.7–2.2 GHz bands. The measured results in both low and high frequencies agree well with the simulations.
TL;DR: This paper proposes a mathematical model for massive MIMO systems with DMAs and discusses their constraints compared to ideal antenna arrays, characterize the fundamental limits of uplink communications with the resulting systems and proposes two algorithms for designing practical DMAs for approaching these limits.
Abstract: Massive multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) communications are the focus of considerable interest in recent years. While the theoretical gains of massive MIMO have been established, implementing MIMO systems with large-scale antenna arrays in practice is challenging. Among the practical challenges associated with massive MIMO systems are increased cost, power consumption, and physical size. In this paper, we study the implementation of massive MIMO antenna arrays using dynamic metasurface antennas (DMAs), an emerging technology which inherently handles the aforementioned challenges. Specifically, DMAs realize large-scale planar antenna arrays and can adaptively incorporate signal processing methods such as compression and analog combining in the physical antenna structure, thus reducing the cost and power consumption. First, we propose a mathematical model for massive MIMO systems with DMAs and discuss their constraints compared to ideal antenna arrays. Then, we characterize the fundamental limits of uplink communications with the resulting systems and propose two algorithms for designing practical DMAs for approaching these limits. Our numerical results indicate that the proposed approaches result in practical massive MIMO systems whose performance is comparable to that achievable with ideal antenna arrays.
TL;DR: In this article, a dual-band, low profile, high gain, and low specific absorption rate (SAR) triangular slotted monopole antenna with a $4\times 4$ artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) array is presented for WBAN applications.
Abstract: A dual-band, low profile, high gain, and low specific absorption rate (SAR) triangular slotted monopole antenna backed with a $4\times 4$ artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) array is presented for wireless body area network (WBAN) applications. The antenna is printed on a Rogers ULTRALAM 3850 substrate, whereas the AMC array is printed on a RO3003 substrate. The design operates at 3.5 GHz, for WiMAX wireless applications, and at 5.8 GHz for the ISM Band. The proposed antenna preserved the dual-band resonance and exhibited acceptable gain and SAR at a separation of 15 mm from the human body model. To reduce such separation and achieve enhancements to gain and SAR, an AMC array was utilized. In free space, gain enhancements by 6.8 and 3.7 dBi were achieved at both frequencies, respectively. Furthermore, over a gap of 1 mm from the human body, gain enhancements by 23.3 and 13.9 dBi were achieved at both frequencies, respectively. In addition, SAR reductions by almost 99% were attained. The antenna was fabricated and measured where a very good agreement was observed between simulated and measured results, with and without the incorporated AMC array. With such results, the proposed design can be highly recommended for wearable medical applications, specifically for diabetic patients.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined spatial modulation techniques that can leverage the properties of densely packed configurable arrays of subarrays of nano-antennas, to increase capacity and spectral efficiency, while maintaining acceptable beamforming performance.
Abstract: The prospect of ultra-massive multiple-input multiple-output (UM-MIMO) technology to combat the distance problem at the Terahertz (THz) band is considered. It is well-known that the very large available bandwidths at THz frequencies come at the cost of severe propagation losses and power limitations, which result in very short communication distances. Recently, graphene-based plasmonic nano-antenna arrays that can accommodate hundreds of antenna elements in a few millimeters have been proposed. While such arrays enable efficient beamforming that can increase the communication range, they fail to provide sufficient spatial degrees of freedom for spatial multiplexing. In this paper, we examine spatial modulation (SM) techniques that can leverage the properties of densely packed configurable arrays of subarrays of nano-antennas, to increase capacity and spectral efficiency, while maintaining acceptable beamforming performance. Depending on the communication distance and the frequency of operation, a specific SM configuration that ensures good channel conditions is recommended. We analyze the performance of the proposed schemes theoretically and numerically in terms of symbol and bit error rates, where significant gains are observed compared to conventional SM. We demonstrate that SM at very high frequencies is a feasible paradigm, and we motivate several extensions that can make THz-band SM a future research trend.
09 Sep 2019
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a real-time system that can reliably monitor human respiration when the target is far away from the WiFi transceiver pair by using the ratio of CSI readings from two antennas.
Abstract: The past few years have witnessed the great potential of exploiting channel state information retrieved from commodity WiFi devices for respiration monitoring. However, existing approaches only work when the target is close to the WiFi transceivers and the performance degrades significantly when the target is far away. On the other hand, most home environments only have one WiFi access point and it may not be located in the same room as the target. This sensing range constraint greatly limits the application of the proposed approaches in real life. This paper presents FarSense--the first real-time system that can reliably monitor human respiration when the target is far away from the WiFi transceiver pair. FarSense works well even when one of the transceivers is located in another room, moving a big step towards real-life deployment. We propose two novel schemes to achieve this goal: (1) Instead of applying the raw CSI readings of individual antenna for sensing, we employ the ratio of CSI readings from two antennas, whose noise is mostly canceled out by the division operation to significantly increase the sensing range; (2) The division operation further enables us to utilize the phase information which is not usable with one single antenna for sensing. The orthogonal amplitude and phase are elaborately combined to address the "blind spots" issue and further increase the sensing range. Extensive experiments show that FarSense is able to accurately monitor human respiration even when the target is 8 meters away from the transceiver pair, increasing the sensing range by more than 100%.1 We believe this is the first system to enable through-wall respiration sensing with commodity WiFi devices and the proposed method could also benefit other sensing applications.
20 Nov 2019
TL;DR: In this article, spontaneous parametric down-conversion in an optical nano-antenna was used for the generation of two-photon quantum states at telecommunication wavelengths based on the spontaneous Mie-type resonances at both the pump and the biphoton wavelengths.
Abstract: Optical nanoantennas have shown a great capacity for efficient extraction of photons from the near to the far field, enabling directional emission from nanoscale single-photon sources. However, their potential for the generation and extraction of multi-photon quantum states remains unexplored. Here we experimentally demonstrate the nanoscale generation of two-photon quantum states at telecommunication wavelengths based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion in an optical nanoantenna. The antenna is a crystalline AlGaAs nanocylinder, possessing Mie-type resonances at both the pump and the bi-photon wavelengths, and when excited by a pump beam it generates photon pairs with a rate of 35 Hz. Normalized to the pump energy stored by the nanoantenna, this rate corresponds to 1.4 GHz/Wm, being 1 order of magnitude higher than conventional on-chip or bulk photon-pair sources. Our experiments open the way for multiplexing several antennas for coherent generation of multi-photon quantum states with complex spatial-mode entanglement and applications in free-space quantum communications and sensing.