Transmission-Line Metamaterial Antennas & Arrays for Advanced Wireless Telecommunications

随着社会对移动的信息访问的需求持续增长，下一代无线系统无疑需要提供无与伦比的容量和功能。多输入多输出（MIMO）技术等概念有望提供所需的新水平的系统容量和可靠性。同样，认知无线电系统将重新定义无线设备利用无线电频谱的方式，大大提高频谱使用效率，从而为新的无线应用和服务创造机会。然而，这些方法将对天线施加严格的要求，这些天线将不得不科普更宽的带宽，支持多个频带，表现出高辐射效率（以节省电池寿命并提高信噪比），并提供额外的功能，如滤波和滤波，所有这些都在相对较小的设备（如黑莓）中。在部署基于MIMO和认知无线电概念的高级通信协议时，最大的挑战之一可能是实现可以封装在手持无线设备中的小型化天线阵列。 为了解决这些挑战，我们建议开发先进的天线技术的基础上范式转移超材料的概念和可重构性。通过使用这种方法，可以在手持单元中放置多个天线，同时自适应地改变它们的辐射模式，以大大提高信号质量和容量。这项研究不仅将推动加拿大最成功的无线IT公司之一（Research-In-Motion Inc.）的进一步创新，而且将加强加拿大在无线通信领域的技术知识和领导地位，这是一个具有经济和战略重要性的领域。

As society's appetite for mobile information access continues to grow, next-generation wireless systems will undoubtedly need to provide unparalleled levels of capacity and functionality. Concepts such as multi-input, multiple-output (MIMO) technologies promise to deliver the required new levels of system capacity and reliability. Similarly, cognitive radio systems will redefine the way wireless devices utilize radio spectrum, hugely increasing the efficiency of spectrum usage, thereby creating opportunities for new wireless applications and services. However, these approaches will impose stringent requirements on the antennas which will have to cope with broader bandwidths, support multiple frequency bands, exhibit high radiation efficiency (to conserve battery life and improve the signal-to-noise ratio), and provide additional functionality such as filtering and duplexing, all within a relatively small device such as a BlackBerry. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges in deploying advanced communication protocols based on MIMO and cognitive radio concepts is realizing miniaturized antennas arrays that can be packed in handheld wireless devices. To address these challenges we propose to develop advanced antenna technologies based on paradigm-shift metamaterial concepts and reconfigurability. By using this approach, multiple antennas could be placed in a handheld unit, while adaptively changing their radiation patterns to greatly improve signal quality and capacity. This research will not only fuel further innovations in one of Canada's most successful wireless IT companies (Research-In-Motion Inc.), but will enhance Canada's technological know-how and leadership in the wireless communications field, an area of economic and strategic importance.