Feasibility Study: Active Integrated Antennas for Ultra Wideband Systems

超宽带（UWB）系统使用在非常宽的频率范围上扩展的信号，提供了高数据速率通信的潜力。这种宽频谱可以通过使用具有非常快的上升和下降时间的脉冲或通过将具有宽范围载波频率的多个调制信号组合在一起来实现。UWB系统在高空间容量通信方面提供了很多，这意味着许多UWB系统可以在没有相互干扰的情况下同时接近地操作。其他应用包括精确的室内定位和具有改进性能的短距离成像系统。有源集成天线技术提供了一种制造紧凑型天线收发器模块的方法，其适用于各种紧凑型手持或便携式设备，例如移动的电话、计算机、游戏平台、个人数字助理或科学和医疗仪器。有源集成天线的性能问题，现在很好地理解为窄带系统，但UWB系统的非常不同的操作模式引入了一组新的挑战，人工智能。因此，我们认为，现在重要的是将这两个主题结合在一起，以确定挑战，并提出一个前进的道路，可以允许AIA技术的潜在优势，以应用于新兴的UWB系统。在本可行性研究中，我们将首先致力于：充分建立系统要求;研究UWB收发器和天线的当前架构;确定不同可能的高频有源器件类型和配置的适用性，以在有源集成UWB收发器系统中运行。然后，我们将详细考虑AIA在UWB系统中的潜力。超宽带有源集成天线可以设计用于两种不同类型的功能，这两种功能都将被详细研究。首先，将有源电路功能集成到天线中可以导致收发器操作的改进，其中噪声、增益和线性度是最重要的参数。不可避免的是，在这些方面的一些改进涉及在其他方面的妥协，这些需要在UWB上下文中得到充分理解。其次，集成可以允许显著改变天线特性，例如辐射方向图、极化特性、带宽和脉冲成形。原则上，通过AIA方法实现的这些参数的控制可以允许UWB系统的整体性能的改进，例如通过使接收器对来自已知发射机的信号不敏感。这项为期一年的研究的结果将是对UWB系统中AIA的要求、架构、设备选项和可能的好处的审查，一组新的配置UWB人工智能系统进行详细研究，在后续的研究和一组确定的研究问题，需要进一步研究。

Ultra wideband (UWB) systems offer the potential of high data rate communications, using signals that are spread over a very wide range of frequency. This wide spectrum is achieved either using pulses with very fast rise and fall times or by combining together a number of modulated signals with a wide range of carrier frequencies. UWB systems offer much in terms of high spatial capacity communications, meaning that many UWB systems can operate simultaneously in close proximity without mutual interference. Other applications include accurate indoor position fixing and short range imaging systems with improved performance. Active integrated antenna technology provides a means of making compact antenna-transceiver modules, suitable for use in a wide range of compact handheld or portable equipment, such as mobile phones, computers, games platforms, personal digital assistants, or scientific and medical instruments. The performance issues for active integrated antennas are now well understood for narrowband systems, but the very different modes of operation of UWB systems introduce a new set of challenges for AIAs. We therefore believe it is now important to bring these two topics together in order to define the challenges and to propose a way forward that could allow the potential benefits of AIA technology to be applied to emerging UWB systems. In this feasibility study we will first aim to: fully establish the system requirements; study the current architectures for UWB transceivers and antennas; determine the suitability of different possible high frequency active device types and configurations, for operation in active integrated UWB transceiver systems. We will then consider in detail the potential for AIAs in UWB systems. Ultra wideband active integrated antennas can be designed for two different types of functionality, both of which will be examined in detail. Firstly, integration of active circuit functions into the antenna can lead to improvements in transceiver operation where noise, gain and linearity are the most important parameters. Inevitably, improvements in some of these aspects involve compromises in others, and these need to be fully understood in the UWB context. Secondly, integration can allow significant alteration of the antenna characteristics, such as radiation pattern, polarization properties, bandwidth and pulse shaping. In principle, the control of these parameters, made possible by an AIA approach, can allow improvements in the overall performance of UWB systems, for example by making a receiver insensitive to signals from a known interferer.The outcome of this one-year study will be a review of requirements, architectures, device options and possible benefits of AIAs in UWB systems, a set of novel configurations for UWB AIAs to be studied in detail in a follow-on study and a set of identified research issues requiring further study.