Reconfigurable antennas and radio wave propagation at millimeter-wave frequencies

For the last decades we have been witnessing the evolution of wireless radio networks. Since new devices appear and the mobile traffic, as well as the number of users, grows rapidly, there is a great demand in high capacity communications with better coverage, high transmission quality, and more efficient use of the radio spectrum. In this thesis, reconfigurable antennas at micro- and millimeter-wave frequencies and peculiar properties of radio wave propagation at mm-wave frequencies are studied. Reconfigurable antennas can improve radio link performance. Recently, many different concepts have been developed in the reconfigurable antenna design to control the antenna bandwidth, resonant frequency, polarization, and radiation properties. In the first part of the thesis, we investigate mechanically tunable antennas operating at microwave frequencies with the ability to change the shape of the conductor element and, consequently, to control the radiation properties of the antenna. Also in the first part, we study conformal antenna arraysfor 60 GHz applications based on cylindrical structures. Beam switching technology is implemented by realizing several antenna arrays around the cylinder with a switching network.Scanning angles of +34˚/-32˚ are achieved. Moreover, it is vital to study radio wave propagation peculiarities at mm-wave frequencies in indoor and outdoor environments to be able to deploy wireless networks effectively. The propagation part of the thesis focuses on several aspects. First, we investigate how the estimation of optimum antenna configurations in indoor environment can be done usingrealistic propagation models at 60 GHz. Ray tracing simulations are performed and realistic human blockage models are considered. Second, we present the results from a measurement campaign where reflection and scattering properties of two different built surfaces are studied in the millimeter-wave E-band (71-76 and 81-86 GHz). Next, we present a geometry based channel model for a street canyon scenario, using angular-domain measurement results to calculate realistic power angular spectra in the azimuth and elevation planes. Then, we evaluate propagation effects on the radio channel on the rooftop of the buildings bymeasurements and simulations. We have used unmanned aerial vehicles and photogrammetrytechnique to create a highly accurate 3D model of the environment. Based on a comparison of the measured and simulated power delay profiles, we show that the highly accurate 3D modelsare beneficial in radio wave propagation planning at mm-wave frequencies instead of using simple geometrical models

Path Loss Characterization for Intra-Vehicle Wearable Deployments at 60 GHz

In this work, we present the results of a wideband measurement campaign at 60 GHz conducted inside a Linkker electric city bus. Targeting prospective millimeter-wave (mmWave) public transportation wearable scenarios, we mimic a typical deployment of mobile high-end consumer devices in a dense environment. Specifically, our intra-vehicle deployment includes one receiver and multiple transmitters corresponding to a mmWave access point and passengers' wearable and hand-held devices. While the receiver is located in the front part of the bus, the transmitters repeat realistic locations of personal devices (i) at the seat level (e.g., a hand-held device) and (ii) at a height 70 cm above the seat (e.g., a wearable device: augmented reality glasses or a head-mounted display). Based on the measured received power, we construct a logarithmic model for the distance-dependent path loss. The parametrized models developed in the course of this study have the potential to become an attractive ground for the link budget estimation and interference footprint studies in crowded public transportation scenarios.Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted to EuCAP 201

Millimeter Wave Channel Modeling via Generative Neural Networks

Statistical channel models are instrumental to design and evaluate wireless communication systems. In the millimeter wave bands, such models become acutely challenging; they must capture the delay, directions, and path gains, for each link and with high resolution. This paper presents a general modeling methodology based on training generative neural networks from data. The proposed generative model consists of a two-stage structure that first predicts the state of each link (line-of-sight, non-line-of-sight, or outage), and subsequently feeds this state into a conditional variational autoencoder that generates the path losses, delays, and angles of arrival and departure for all its propagation paths. Importantly, minimal prior assumptions are made, enabling the model to capture complex relationships within the data. The methodology is demonstrated for 28GHz air-to-ground channels in an urban environment, with training datasets produced by means of ray tracing.Comment: Submitted to IEEE GLOBECOM 2020 Workshop on Wireless Propagation Channels for 5G and B5

Characterizing the UAV-to-Machine UWB Radio Channel in Smart Factories

In this work, the results of Ultra-Wideband air-to-ground measurements carried out in a real-world factory environment are presented and discussed. With intelligent industrial deployments in mind, we envision a scenario where the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can be used as a supplementary tool for factory operation, optimization and control. Measurements address narrow band and wide band characterization of the wireless radio channel, and can be used for link budget calculation, interference studies and time dispersion assessment in real factories, without the usual limitation for both radio terminals to be close to ground. The measurements are performed at different locations and different heights over the 3.1-5.3 GHz band. Some fundamental propagation parameters values are determined vs. distance, height and propagation conditions. The measurements are complemented with, and compared to, conventional ground-to-ground measurements with the same setup. The conducted measurement campaign gives an insight for realizing wireless applications in smart connected factories, including UAV-assisted applications

Millimeter-Wave UAV Coveragein Urban Environments

With growing interest in mmWave connectivity for UAVs, a basic question is whether networks intended for terrestrial users can provide sufficient aerial coverage as well. To assess this possibility, the paper proposes a novel evaluation methodology using generative models trained on detailed ray tracing data. These models capture complex propagation characteristics and can be readily combined with antenna and beamforming assumptions. Extensive simulation using these models indicate that standard (street-level and downtilted) base stations at typical microcellular densities can indeed provide satisfactory UAV coverage. Interestingly, the coverage is possible via a conjunction of antenna sidelobes and strong reflections. With sparser deployments, the coverage is only guaranteed at progressively higher altitudes. Additional dedicated (rooftop-mounted and uptilted) base stations strengthen the coverage provided that their density is comparable to that of the standard deployment, and would be instrumental for sparse deployments of the latter

Coexistence of UAVs and Terrestrial Users in Millimeter-Wave Urban Networks

5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) cellular networks are in the early phase of commercial deployments and present a unique opportunity for robust, high-data-rate communication to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A fundamental question is whether and how mmWave networks designed for terrestrial users should be modified to serve UAVs. The paper invokes realistic cell layouts, antenna patterns, and channel models trained from extensive ray tracing data to assess the performance of various network alternatives. Importantly, the study considers the addition of dedicated uptilted rooftop-mounted cells for aerial coverage, as well as novel spectrum sharing modes between terrestrial and aerial network operators. The effect of power control and of multiuser multiple-input multiple-output are also studied

Antennas for smart radio systems at micro- and millimeter-wave frequencies

During the last years the demand for high data rate mobile communications is permanently increasing. High capacity radio systems with better coverage, high transmission quality and more efficient use of the radio spectrum are required. The need for the new radio systems drives developments in millimeter-wave frequencies. Smart radio systems, which can be a good option to improve the system's capacity, comprise several research areas such as antenna design, signal processing algorithms, channel modelling and coding. In this thesis, micro-and millimeter-wave antenna designs, scattering properties of different surfaces, and radio wave propagation modelling in indoor environments are studied. The first part of the work deals with antennas and starts with the characterization of a printed inkjet monopole antenna on different metallic platforms. The information obtained during measurements shows that the realized gain of the antenna can be increased if the antenna is disposed on a metallic platform. This peculiarity can be used in millimeter-wave identification systems. In this work the performance of reconfigurable fluidic and conformal antennas are studied. The size and shape of liquid metal radiating element can be changed in order to modify the directional pattern of the antennas. Conformal antennas with a beam switching network can be used to improve the system capacity. In the second part of the thesis radio wave propagation at millimeter-wave frequencies was studied. In this work empirical characterization of scattering patterns of two built surfaces, i.e. brick and glass wall, was done. This information can be utilized in geometry-based channel modelling. In addition, we performed ray tracing simulations with the antenna structures developed in the first part of the thesis, in a conference room scenario to estimate optimum antenna configuration. To evaluate realistic conditions of radio wave propagation in indoor environments, human shadowing was also considered. It was shown that the preliminary information about radio wave propagation in the defined scenario can be obtained by performing ray tracing simulations and realistic antenna configurations can be replaced with Gaussian shaped antenna patterns before final antenna design development

Drone RCS measurements (26-40 GHz)

The dataset contains measurement results of Radar Cross Section of different Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at 26-40 GHz. The measurements have been performed fro quasi-monostatic case (when the transmitter and receiver are spatially co-located) in the anechoic chamber. The data shows how radio waves are scattered by different UAVs at the specified frequency range