STTR Phase II: Smart Antenna Systems for Unlicensed ISM-band Public Safety and Remote Meter Reading Data Networks

这一小型企业技术转移研究(STTR)第二阶段项目将开发高性能、低成本、干扰滤除的智能天线原型，预计可将信号干扰比(SIR)提高高达12分贝。这将使无线数据速率提高高达4倍，或将覆盖范围扩大高达16倍，从而显著降低系统成本。市政当局和公用事业公司部署的专用无线宽带网络用于公共安全、公共互联网接入以及能源和水管理。这些网络在规模和数量上都经历了戏剧性的增长。这种增长，加上企业和消费者对重叠设备和无线局域网(WLAN)的使用不断扩大，继续加剧了降低干扰的性能问题。这种干扰迫使许多市政当局加倍投资基础设施设备或增加发射机功率以克服干扰，从而产生更多干扰。第二阶段的目标是展示技术有效性并进行客户试验。任务包括：天线结构改进、收发机设计、智能天线算法开发和打包供客户试用。客户试用将在一个或多个目标市场进行。第三阶段的目标是实现低成本智能天线系统的全面商业化。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过高效和可靠的无线数据通信最终拯救生命、减少痛苦并节省纳税人/差饷纳税人的资金。例如，公共安全和急救人员需要详细的信息，如交互式实时视频、语音和生命体征监测，使急诊室医生能够在现场和运输过程中与灾难受害者及其护理人员互动。公用事业公司必须与紧急救援人员一起做出反应，以保护停电的电力线、破裂的天然气和水线，并恢复物理通信网络。停机和泄漏信息越来越多地通过关键无线基础设施传输。预计到2013年，基于WiMAX标准的公共安全网络的销售额将超过30亿美元。？智能电表？预计到2013年，网络的销售额也将增长到30亿美元以上。这种独特的智能天线技术将使原本不运行或降级的网络恢复到运行状态，并帮助确保专用市政无线网络提供可靠的高数据速率，在它们使用的频率变得更加拥挤时继续满足性能目标。该项目将通过研发一种独特的智能天线辐射测量仪器，提高合作伙伴大学S天线实验室的研究能力，促进工程科学的进步。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase II project will develop high performance, low-cost, interference filtering smart-antenna prototypes, anticipated to improve Signal to Interference Ratios (SIR) by up to 12dB. This results in improved wireless data rates by up to a factor of 4 or expands coverage by up to a factor of 16, dramatically reducing system costs. Private wireless broadband networks, deployed by municipalities and utilities are used for public safety, public Internet access, and energy and water management. These networks are experiencing dramatic growth in both size and number. This growth, along with expanding enterprise and consumer use of overlapping devices and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), continue to exacerbate performance reducing interference problems. This interference has forced many municipalities to double their investments in infrastructure equipment or to increase transmitter power to overcome interference, thus producing even more interference. Phase II objectives are to demonstrate technology effectiveness and conduct customer trials. Tasks include; antenna structure refinement, transceiver design, smart antenna algorithm development and packaging for customer trials. Customer trials will be performed in one or more of the target markets. Full commercialization of resulting low cost smart antenna systems is targeted for Phase III.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to ultimately save lives, reduce suffering and save taxpayer/ratepayer dollars through efficient and reliable wireless data communications. For example, public safety and first responder personnel need detailed information such as, interactive live video, voice and vitals monitoring allowing emergency room physicians to interact with disaster victims and their caregivers at the scene and during transport. Utilities must respond, along with emergency personnel, to secure downed power lines, broken gas and water lines and restore physical communications networks. Outage and leak information is increasingly transmitted over critical wireless infrastructure. Public safety networks, based on the WiMAX standard, are expected to surpass $3B in sales by 2013. ?Smart Meter? networks are also projected to grow to over $3B in sales by 2013. This unique smart antenna technology will restore otherwise non operating or degraded networks to operational status and help insure that private municipal wireless networks provide reliable high data rates that continue to meet performance goals as the frequencies they use become more crowded. This project will increase the research capability of the partner university?s antenna laboratory and engineering science will be advanced through developing a unique smart antenna radiated measurement instruments.