Deformable smart antennas

电子通信系统是社会和商业所固有的。由于大多数电子通信依赖于无线接入，因此对服务的需求持续呈指数级增长。然而，无线电频谱是有限的、全球共享的资源。当前对频谱的需求意味着用户之间的无线电波干扰限制了无线通信并降低了信号质量。因此，提高共享无线效率的创新技术解决方案对加拿大的经济增长至关重要。今天，唯一允许用户更有效地共享频谱的技术是“智能”天线，或者使其操作适应其他用户的存在。目前，智能天线过于昂贵，对所有用户来说都是商业上可行的。这个国际和跨学科的研究团队将开发负担得起的智能天线的新设计，自动和自适应地在共享频谱中建立和维护可靠和高效的信道。将测试一种新的解决方案，其中所提出的智能天线将通过在空间中机械移动天线元件来适应。电子“人造肌肉”将驱动可变形天线。这种新的固态致动技术具有以低成本致动天线的潜力。设计要求将被定义和可行的驱动系统开发并行与新的天线配置。然后，这两种技术将被集成到一个可变形的智能天线系统。对加拿大的好处将包括训练有素的跨学科研究工程师，改善科学学科之间的技术转让，无线用户的效率大幅提高，新的人工肌肉技术，加拿大工业的新型致动器设计，加拿大高科技制造商/出口商和大学研究之间的合作和技术转让，新的知识产权，并为新天线系统的商业开发提供了明确的新方向。

Electronic communication systems are intrinsic to society and business. Because most electronic communications rely on wireless access, the demand for service continues to grow exponentially. However, the radio frequency spectrum is a finite, globally shared resource. The current demand for spectrum means that radiowave interference between users is limiting wireless communications and degrading signal quality. Therefore, innovative technology solutions that improve shared wireless efficiency are critical to Canada's economic growth. Today the only technology that allows users to share the spectrum more efficiently is a "smart" antenna, or one that adapts its operation to the presence of other users. Currently, smart antennas are too expensive to be commercially feasible for all users. This international and interdisciplinary research team will develop new designs for affordable, smart antennas that automatically and adaptively build and maintain reliable and efficient channels in the shared spectrum. A novel solution will be tested where the proposed smart antenna will adapt by mechanically moving the antenna elements in space. Electronic "artificial muscles" will actuate the deformable antennas. This new, solid state actuation technology has the potential to actuate the antennas at low cost. Design requirements will be defined and feasible actuation systems developed in parallel with novel antenna configurations. Then, both technologies will be integrated into a deformable smart antenna system. The benefits to Canada will include highly trained, interdisciplinary research engineers, improved technology transfer between scientific disciplines, dramatic efficiency improvements for wireless users, new artificial muscle technology, novel actuator designs for Canadian industry, increased collaboration and technology transfer between Canadian hi-tech manufacturer/exporter and University research, new intellectual property, and a clear new direction for the commercial development of the new antenna systems.