NSERC/C-COM Industrial Research Chair in Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems for Next Generation Millimeter-Wave Mobile Communications

对信息带宽和连通性的无限需求要求无线电技术、通信系统和网络发生革命性变化。下一代无线电网络的带宽将增加100到1000倍，它将毫无延迟地连接一切，将把数字经济的全球影响力扩展到世界的每一个角落（在海洋中，在天空深处，在最偏远的村庄）。这个愿景远远超出了当前技术的能力。解决这个问题的一个根本办法是利用更高的频段，如毫米波和太赫兹，这可以提供超宽的信息带宽。尽管毫米波频谱具有极高的通信带宽，但由于成本、辐射功率小、现有设备灵敏度差以及无线电和天线技术的复杂性，毫米波频谱的商业（大众市场）开发非常有限。毫米波在空气和普通物体（建筑材料和人体）中的衰减是另一个困难。为了应对这些挑战，最有前途的解决方案之一是智能大规模多天线系统，其中来自大量小型相同的低成本/低功率天线模块的辐射，在空间中适当地组合，以在所需方向上产生高功率发射，而在不需要的方向上产生更少的辐射和干扰。这种模块化无线电/IRC计划的目标是研究和开发一种新的模块化和低成本的智能天线和无线电技术，用于下一代毫米波（mmW）通信和传感应用。所提出的技术的一个显著优点是其“可扩展性”。这就意味着，各种形状和尺寸的复杂有源天线系统，对于不同的应用，都可以从同一个低功耗的智能有源天线模块，它可以大规模生产，以最大限度地降低成本。一个全面的工作原型，这样的系统将开发在这个IRC计划

Unlimited demand on information bandwidth and connectivity requires revolutionary changes in radiotechnologies, communication systems, and networks. Next generation radio networks with 100 to 1000 timesmore bandwidth, which will connect everything to everything with no delay, will extend the global reach of thedigital economy to every corner of this world (in the ocean, deep in the sky, and remotest villages). This visionis way beyond the capabilities of the current technologies. A radical solution to this problem is to exploit muchhigher frequency bands such as millimeter-wave and terahertz, which can provide ultra-broad informationbandwidth. Despite its extreme communication bandwidth, commercial (mass market) exploitation ofmillimeter-wave spectrum is quite limited due to the cost, small radiated power, poor sensitivity of the currentdevices, and complexity of the radio and antenna technologies. Millimeter-wave attenuation in the air andcommon objects (building material and human body) is another difficulty. To address these challenges, one ofthe most promising solutions is the intelligent massive multi-antenna systems, wherein radiations from a largenumber of small identical low-cost/low-power antenna modules, are properly combined in space to generate ahigh power emission in desirable direction and much less radiation and interference in unwanted directions.Thebuilt-in intelligence in such modular radio/antenna system minimizes the power consumption and maximizesthe performance.The objective of the proposed IRC program is to investigate and to develop a new modular and low-costintelligent antenna and radio technology for next generation millimeter-wave (mmW) communication andsensing applications. A significant advantage of the proposed technology is its "scalability". This simply meansthat the complex active antenna systems with various shapes and sizes, for different applications, can all bemade from the same low-power intelligent active antenna module, which can be mass-produced to minimizethe cost. A comprehensive working prototype of such system will be developed during this IRC program