EARS: Signal processing techniques for enhancing spectrum access in wireless networks using coupled antenna arrays

提案编号：1443958摘要标题：EAR：在使用耦合天线阵列的无线网络中增强频谱接入的信号处理技术目前的频谱紧缺要求采用创新的方法来更有效地利用可用的频谱。该建议旨在通过引入一类新的天线阵列来解决这一问题，该阵列被称为耦合天线阵列(CAA)。CAAS的独特性质允许将天线单元紧密放置，从而形成非常小的阵列，适合移动无线电。应使用适当的模型和分析工具来评估CAAS的性能。此外，将CAAS用于不同的应用需要适当的信号处理技术。这项拟议的研究有望实现远远超过当前无线技术的性能水平和频谱效率。在短期内，预期的研究结果将导致多天线接收器的开发，具有提供的频谱效率，这是目前使用任何其他现有技术都无法轻松实现的。这将深刻影响未来无线系统的频谱利用效率。从长远来看，这些概念预计将彻底改变我们如何解决从无线通信和信号处理到天线理论和雷达系统等各种领域的问题。除了这些积极的社会、经济和技术影响外，拟议的工作还通过精心规划的一系列活动整合了研究和教育。这些将促进K-12科学教师以工程为导向的专业发展；将研究活动纳入K-12、本科生和研究生阶段的科学/工程教学；改善在大学前、本科生和研究生阶段的研究活动中招聘和留住代表不足的少数民族和女性学生；并通过传统和非传统的传播手段开发和广泛传播基于研究的教育材料。拟议的跨学科研究项目的总体目标是利用多天线无线通信系统以及信号处理和耦合天线阵列(CAA)技术领域的最新进展，从根本上提高移动无线通信系统的频谱利用率。具体地说，PI和Co-PI计划开发一种新的电小尺寸CAA，并研究它们在以下方面的应用：1)强干扰环境下无线系统的频谱共存和容量增强；2)多输入多输出(MIMO)通信系统的容量增强；3)多小区协作网络的容量增强和复杂性降低。这项拟议的工作弥合了两个传统上分离的研究领域之间的差距，以开发可行的解决方案来提高未来无线系统的频谱效率。这项工作特别强调小型移动无线设备，这些设备无法容纳大型天线阵列，并且工作在5.0 GHz以下的频率，那里的传播条件最适合实现许多移动无线系统所依赖的广域覆盖。这个项目涉及两项基本的调查，预计将极大地促进我们在应用电磁学/天线设计和通信/信号处理领域的知识和理解。第一个涉及开发一类新的CAA，它提供比传统天线阵列更高的方向性和信噪比，特别是在阵列的整体电气尺寸很小的情况下。研究提出的CAA概念的体系结构、性能、能力和局限性有望从根本上提高我们对天线阵列理论和设计的认识和理解。第二个重点涉及调查拟议的CAAS实现的新的通信应用。CAAS为小口径移动无线设备引入了全新的功能，这些功能是目前使用任何其他现有技术都无法获得的。这些能力将被用来增加小型天线阵列的频率和方向选择性，增强MIMO无线系统的容量，减轻拥塞频谱环境中干扰的不利影响，并降低蜂窝网络的复杂性和提高频谱效率。

Proposal number: 1443958Abstract Title: EARS: Signal processing techniques for enhancing spectrum access in wireless networks using coupled antenna arraysThe current spectrum crunch calls for innovative approaches to utilize the available frequency spectrum more efficiently. This proposal aims at addressing this issue by introducing a new class of antenna arrays called coupled antenna arrays (CAAs). The unique nature of the CAAs allows for placing the antenna elements closely resulting in very small arrays that are suitable for mobile radios. The performance of CAAs should be assessed with proper models and analysis tools. Also, utilizing CAAs for different applications requires proper signal processing techniques. The proposed research is expected to result in achieving performance levels and spectrum efficiencies that far exceed the current wireless technologies. In the short term, the expected research findings will lead to the development of multi-antenna receivers with offered spectral efficiencies that cannot be easily achieved using any other existing technology today. This will profoundly impact the efficiency of spectrum utilization of future wireless systems. In the long term, these concepts are expected to revolutionize how we solve problems in a variety of areas ranging from wireless communications and signal processing to antenna theory and radar systems. In addition to these positive societal, economic, and technological impacts, the proposed work integrates research and education through a carefully planned series of activities. These will facilitate the engineering-oriented professional development of K-12 science teachers; integrate research activities into the teaching of science/engineering at the K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels; improve recruitment and retention of under-represented minority and female students in research activities at the pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate levels; and result in development and broad dissemination of research based educational materials through both traditional and non-traditional means of dissemination.The overall objective of the proposed interdisciplinary research project is to use recent advances in the areas of multi-antenna wireless communication systems and signal processing and coupled antenna array (CAA) technology to fundamentally enhance the efficiency of spectrum utilization of mobile wireless communication systems. Specifically, the PI and the Co-PI plan to develop a new class of electrically-small CAAs and investigate their applications for: 1) Spectrum co-existence and capacity enhancement of wireless systems operating in strong interference environments; 2) Capacity-enhancement of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communications systems; and 3) Capacity enhancement and complexity reduction of multi-cell cooperative networks. The proposed work bridges the gaps between two traditionally separate areas of research to develop viable solutions for enhancing the spectrum efficiency of future wireless systems. This work particularly emphasizes on small mobile wireless devices that cannot accommodate large antenna arrays, and work at frequencies below 5.0 GHz where the propagation conditions are most suitable for achieving wide-area coverage that many mobile wireless systems rely on. This project involves two fundamental thrusts of investigation that are expected to significantly advance our knowledge and understanding in the fields of applied electromagnetics/antenna design and communications/signal processing. The first involves developing a new class of CAAs that offer significantly higher directivities and signal-to-noise ratios over conventional antenna arrays, particularly when the overall electrical dimensions of the array are small. Investigating the architectures, performance, capabilities, and limitations of the proposed CAA concept is expected to fundamentally advance our knowledge and understanding of antenna array theory and design. The second thrust involves investigating the new communications applications that the proposed CAAs enable. CAAs introduce fundamentally new capabilities to small-aperture, mobile wireless devices that are not available using any other existing technology today. These capabilities will be exploited to increase the frequency as well as directional selectivity of small antenna arrays, enhance the capacity of MIMO wireless systems, mitigate the adverse effects of interference in congested spectral environments, and reduce the complexity and increase the spectral efficiency of cellular networks.