SBIR Phase I: Reconfigurable Sparse Array Smart Antenna System via Multi-Robot Control

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目开发和评估一个灵活的稀疏阵列智能天线系统，可以通过使用多个移动的机器人重新配置。目前的机器人系统是有限的，因为它们不能利用波束成形，由于其有限数量的天线和波束成形器的高计算要求。这项开创性的研究是通过最近的突破，超低计算复杂性波束形成和多移动机器人集群控制。与目前的波束形成器不同，稀疏阵列中的天线将不会物理连接在一起，而是每个机器人都有一个天线。通过开发新的信号处理和机器人控制技术，机器人通信将在今天由于范围，死点或干扰而无法实现的地方实现。空中测量将使最终评估关键问题（机器人之间的距离，稀疏阵列的几何形状等）该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于，它可以彻底改变商业机器人系统和无线行业的其他应用。实现多机器人协作通信使最坏情况下的可靠通信成为可能。稀疏阵列的性能评估将提供有价值的洞察力协作通信的其他应用，如分布式传感器网络，而波束形成器？的超低计算要求使得将其添加到当前和未来的无线系统中是可行的。创建一种新的机器人通信类别将使机器人在当前应用中更加有效，并为机器人行业创造新的市场。随着国防、执法和制造业越来越依赖机器人，机器人的使用呈指数级增长，但通信限制使机器人在许多情况下无法发挥作用。防止机器人搜索被困在倒塌建筑物中的人或执行侦察任务时发生这种严重的通信损失可以挽救生命并产生巨大的社会影响。这项研究将促进科学和技术理解的新领域，使学术界和工业界的研究人员能够评估通过这项开创性研究取得的进展，这将使智能天线系统的性能优化，无论天线是物理连接还是在不同的位置。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project develops and evaluates a flexible sparse array smart antenna system that can be reconfigured through the use of multiple mobile robots. Current robotic systems are limited because they cannot utilize beamforming due to their limited number of antennas and the high computational requirement of beamformers. This pioneering research is made possible through recent breakthroughs for ultralow computational complexity beamforming and multi-mobile robot cluster control. Unlike current beamformers, the antennas in the sparse array will not be physically connected together but instead each robot will have a single antenna. By developing new signal processing and robotic control techniques, robotic communications will be enabled where impossible today due to range, dead spots, or interference. Over-the-air measurements will make it possible to finally evaluate how key issues (distance between robots, geometric shape of the sparse array, etc.) affects system performance.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it can revolutionize commercial robotic systems and other applications in the wireless industry. Enabling multi-robot collaborative communications makes reliable communications possible in worst-case environments. Performance evaluation of sparse arrays will provide valuable insight for collaborative communications for other applications such as distributed sensor networks while the beamformer?s ultralow computational requirement makes it feasible to be added to current and future wireless systems. Creation of a new class of robotic communications will enable robots to be more effective in current applications and create new markets for the robotic sector. The use of robots has increased exponentially with robots increasingly relied upon for defense, law enforcement, and manufacturing, but communication limitations prevent robots from being effective in many situations. Preventing this critical loss of communications for robots searching for people trapped in collapsed buildings or while on scout missions can save lives and have a great societal impact. This research will foster new fields of scientific and technological understanding by enabling Academia and Industry researchers to evaluate the advances made through this pioneering research, which will enable performance optimization for smart antenna systems whether the antennas are physically connected or at different locations.