Sparse-Activation Antenna Pixels for Precise Subwavelength Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Subwavelength antenna element arrays face significant cross-coupling issues, leading to inaccuracies in mathematically calculated beamforming patterns and simulation results, which are not accurately reflected in practice due to the close spacing of antenna elements.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable antenna system with multiple phase-adjustable antenna elements connected to waveguides, where each antenna pixel has a distinct phase advance, allowing for selective activation and phase adjustment of individual elements to achieve target beamforming, utilizing a controller to identify and adjust phase values to match target phase values for precise beamforming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If antenna elements are spaced at subwavelength distances to reduce array size, then the physical dimensions of the antenna system are reduced, but cross-coupling between elements increases causing inaccuracies in beamforming patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna array is divided into multiple antenna pixels, where each pixel contains multiple antenna elements. By selectively activating only one element per pixel, the system achieves sparse sampling that reduces cross-coupling effects while maintaining subwavelength overall array dimensions. This segmentation allows the physical array to be compact while the active elements are sufficiently separated in effect.
Solution Approach 2:
Each antenna pixel is designed with distinct phase advance characteristics for its individual elements. By assigning different phase properties to elements within each pixel and selectively activating elements with appropriate phase characteristics, the system achieves accurate beamforming patterns despite subwavelength spacing. The local phase quality varies across pixels to enable precise beam control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all antenna elements are activated to achieve full beamforming control, then beamforming flexibility is improved, but cross-coupling between elements increases causing simulation inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of activating all antenna elements, the system activates only a subset of elements (one per antenna pixel). This partial activation reduces cross-coupling effects that cause simulation inaccuracies while maintaining sufficient beamforming control flexibility through the selective activation strategy and phase adjustment capabilities of the activated elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically selects which antenna element to activate within each pixel based on the desired beamforming pattern. This dynamic selection, combined with phase adjustment of activated elements, provides adaptability for different beamforming scenarios while maintaining reliability by avoiding cross-coupling issues associated with full activation.
3Area of stationary object
If antenna elements are closely spaced to reduce physical footprint, then device compactness is improved, but cross-coupling effects cause mathematical models to diverge from practical results
Solution Approach 1:
The compact antenna array is segmented into multiple pixels with subwavelength spacing between pixels. Within each pixel, multiple elements are closely spaced, but only one element per pixel is activated. This segmentation allows the overall array to have a compact footprint while the selective activation ensures that effective radiating elements are sufficiently separated to minimize cross-coupling, maintaining pattern precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by selectively activating specific elements within each pixel and adjusting their phase characteristics. This parameter control allows the compact array structure to achieve accurate beamforming patterns by optimizing which elements are active and at what phase, compensating for the close physical spacing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables accurate and precise beamforming by minimizing cross-coupling between antenna elements, allowing for the generation of target beamforms with improved steering and shaping capabilities, even in subwavelength spacings, thereby enhancing the accuracy and precision of beamforming in antenna systems.
Implementation Method 1
each antenna pixel includes at least two antenna elements and a waveguide that provides a distinct phase advance to each antenna element
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods described herein include a two-dimensional antenna array of antenna pixels having length and width dimensions of less than one-half of an operational wavelength. In various examples, each antenna pixel comprises a fixed number of phase-adjustable antenna elements. The antenna elements of each antenna pixel may be coupled to the waveguide with interelement spacings selected to associate each antenna element with a distinct phase advance value. A controller identifies a target phase value for each antenna pixel that corresponds to a target beamform for the two-dimensional antenna. A controller activates and adjusts a phase response of one of the antenna elements in each antenna pixel, such that the phase advance value associate with the activated antenna element and the adjusted phase response combine to attain the target phase value for the antenna pixel as a whole.