High Performance Millimeter Wave Antennas and Beamforming for Communications and Imaging Applications

用于通信和成像应用的高性能毫米波天线和波束成形

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-06954
• 负责人: Sebak, Abdel
• 金额: $ 4.66万
• 依托单位: Concordia University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=716532
• 关键词: Performance; Millimeter; Wave; Antennas; Beamforming

Existing wireless technologies operating below 6 GHz have recently offered data intensive systems using innovative techniques including cognitive radio and multiple antenna systems. However, these techniques are not sufficient to address the ever exponential increase of enhanced data rate needs for future wireless systems. In the meantime, millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies are one key enabling solution for future wireless systems and have attracted a strong interest within the wireless community. They offer the advantage of availability of much wider bandwidth and provide additional spectrum for wireless communications. However, one disadvantage is the weaker propagation characteristics of radio waves at mmWave bands due to high losses at these frequencies. Such a challenge can be overcome by using directive mmWave arrays that can house ten times more elements, due to smaller wavelength and can provide enough gain to ensure high signal to noise ratio at the receiver and boost the capacity of mmWave networks. For imaging systems and radars applications, mmWaves also offer high resolution and sensitivity. The main objective of the proposed research program is to significantly enhance mmWave wireless communication and imaging systems performance and improve both the data rate and capacity through: development and advancement of high gain broadband array transceiver technology for beam scanning and multi-beam employing engineered electromagnetic structures controlling the wireless channel and mitigating the unfavorable mmWave high propagation and ohmic losses; and multipath fading effect using smart antenna hybrid beamforming (HBF) networks that benefit from both analog and digital beamforming schemes. The aim is to advance the state of the art in mmWave technology and develop better understanding of different components' characteristics leading to improved system performance. The proposed main research thrusts include investigation and development of mmWave high gain broadband antenna elements, circuits, reconfigurable antenna arrays, and HBF that cover multiple mmWave frequency bands to serve next generation wireless communication and imaging applications employing emerging engineered electromagnetic surface technology. It also addresses challenges associated with implementation of mmWave antennas and HBF, and how their performance can be measured, assessed and improved. In addition, signal processing techniques pertinent to the proposed HBF structure will be applied. Rigorous modeling, testing, and implementation will be performed. The common theme of this program is learning, training, and developing expertise for emerging mmWave wireless communication and imaging systems. The proposed research will play a key role in training of undergrad, MSc and PhD students, and PDFs through building not only different levels of expertise in mmWave technologies for 5G and beyond, but also exposure to wireless communication and sensing science.

6ghz以下的现有无线技术最近提供了使用创新技术的数据密集型系统，包括认知无线电和多天线系统。然而，这些技术不足以满足未来无线系统对增强数据速率需求的指数级增长。与此同时，毫米波（mmWave）频率是未来无线系统的一个关键解决方案，并在无线社区中引起了强烈的兴趣。它们提供了更宽带宽的优势，并为无线通信提供了额外的频谱。然而，一个缺点是无线电波在毫米波频段的传播特性较弱，因为在这些频率上损耗很大。这种挑战可以通过使用指令毫米波阵列来克服，该阵列可以容纳十倍以上的元件，因为波长更小，并且可以提供足够的增益，以确保接收器的高信噪比，并提高毫米波网络的容量。对于成像系统和雷达应用，毫米波还提供高分辨率和灵敏度。