Enabling metamaterial solutions for antennas in wireless internet service provision (WISP)

为无线互联网服务提供 (WISP) 中的天线提供超材料解决方案

• 批准号: 516086-2017
• 负责人: Iyer, Ashwin
• 金额: $ 4.95万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=618750
• 关键词: Enabling; metamaterial; solutions; antennas; wireless

In wireless internet service provision (WISP), any efforts to render antennas more compact, low-profile, ormultifunctional can bring certain challenges such as increased mutual coupling and complex antennaarchitectures, all of which variously enlarge antenna footprints, complicate design, and present fabricationchallenges. Although solutions exist for these challenges, they may actually increase the size, weight,complexity, and cost of the antenna, and they typically employ ad-hoc or otherwise empirical design methods.A separate challenge is the known effect of radomes on radiation parameters. These structures, whose shapesare dictated by application-specific parameters such as wind resistance and aesthetics, are not typicallyexploited to enhance antenna properties, although they present an interesting opportunity to do so.The above challenges demand a more robust solution drawing on new paradigms in antenna design. One suchparadigm is that of electromagnetic (EM) 'metamaterials' (MTMs), which are periodic structures engineered tocreate exotic wave-propagation characteristics - often unavailable using natural materials - and which may befurther classified into several types. Among these are EM bandgap structures (EBGs) and certain incarnationsof frequency-selective surfaces (FSSs), where the former are typically used to tailor propagation inguided-wave applications (e.g. waveguides and TLs) and the latter are typically used to engineer thetransmission and reflection response of waves in free space.The proposed collaboration with KP Performance Inc. (Edmonton, AB -- abbreviated KPPA) will investigatedesigning compact multifunction diversity antennas that incorporate recent advances in MTM-based EBGtechnology to enable broadband and/or multi-band operation with reduced mutual coupling. A second aspect ofthis work will examine patterning antenna radomes and ground planes using MTM-based FSSs and EBGs,respectively, to effect better half-power beamwidth roll-off, low side-lobes, and improved front-to-back ratios.

在无线互联网服务提供（WISP）中，任何使天线变得更加紧凑、薄型或多功能的努力都会带来一定的挑战，例如增加相互耦合和复杂的天线架构，所有这些都会不同程度地扩大天线占地面积、使设计复杂化并带来制造挑战。尽管针对这些挑战存在解决方案，但它们实际上可能会增加天线的尺寸、重量、复杂性和成本，并且它们通常采用临时或其他经验设计方法。另一个挑战是天线罩对辐射参数的已知影响。这些结构的形状由抗风性和美观等特定于应用的参数决定，尽管它们提供了一个有趣的机会，但通常不会用来增强天线性能。上述挑战需要利用天线设计新范例的更强大的解决方案。其中一个范式是电磁（EM）“超材料”（MTM），它是一种周期性结构，旨在创造奇异的波传播特性（通常使用天然材料无法实现），并且可以进一步分为几种类型。其中包括电磁带隙结构 (EBG) 和频率选择表面 (FSS) 的某些形式，前者通常用于定制导波应用中的传播（例如波导和 TL），后者通常用于设计自由空间中波的传输和反射响应。拟议与 KP Performance Inc.（艾伯塔省埃德蒙顿 - 缩写）的合作 KPPA）将研究设计紧凑型多功能分集天线，该天线结合了基于 MTM 的 EBG 技术的最新进展，以实现宽带和/或多频段操作，同时减少互耦。这项工作的第二个方面将分别使用基于 MTM 的 FSS 和 EBG 来检查天线天线罩和接地平面的图案化，以实现更好的半功率波束宽度滚降、低旁瓣和改进的前后比。