Abstract
A new method for the design of antenna array feeding networks has been proposed in this work. In particular, the considered feeding networks are based on the Rotman lens. By knowing the maximum errors on the fabrication tolerances, the arithmetic of intervals and interval analysis (IA) are used for determining the lower and upper bounds of the antenna feeding network parameters of interest. Representative and preliminary numerical results are reported to show the potentialities of the proposed method. An experimental X-band Rotman lens prototype has been designed, fabricated, and assessed. The obtained results are quite good.
Highlights
Modern telecommunication systems such as mobile smartphones offer multimedia applications and different services that require high reconfigurability despite the limited dimensions of the devices. 5G and 4G generation devices offer, in addition to usual voice and other services commonly provided by standard 3G systems, ultra-broadband Internet connection, voice-over telephony (VOIP), mobile web access, gaming services, and other exciting multimedia applications. e use of advanced RF techniques such as MIMO antennas, multiband antenna and feeding networks, and carrier aggregation (CA) could actively improve the performances of the standard radar or radio links
A new kind of reconfigurable parasitic antenna, able to electronically select different configurations of the radiation patterns [7,8,9], has been successfully adopted for various practical applications, such as Wi-Fi systems [10], wireless sensor network applications [11], and sum-difference radar [12]. ese antennas offer a good compromise between fully adaptive arrays and the switched beam solution, but the complexity of the feeding network is still too complex or expensive. e Rotman lens has proven its capability to be a useful beamformer for designers of electronically scanned arrays [13,14,15,16,17,18,19]
It is helpful for the design of multibeam or reconfigurable arrays because it offers a real-time delay phase shift capability that is independent of frequency and International Journal of Antennas and Propagation removes the need for expensive phase shifters to steer a beam over wide angles. e Rotman lens has a long history in communication systems ranging from military radar up to standard radio links [20]. e Rotman lens is a planar structure, which can be implemented with microstrip technology, and it is used to feed an antenna array to obtain a multibeam behaviour; since it does not require lumped elements or other RF devices, it is simple, cheap, and mechanically robust
Summary
Modern telecommunication systems such as mobile smartphones offer multimedia applications and different services that require high reconfigurability despite the limited dimensions of the devices. 5G and 4G generation devices offer, in addition to usual voice and other services commonly provided by standard 3G systems, ultra-broadband Internet connection, voice-over telephony (VOIP), mobile web access, gaming services, and other exciting multimedia applications (such as a high-definition television). e use of advanced RF techniques such as MIMO antennas, multiband antenna and feeding networks, and carrier aggregation (CA) could actively improve the performances of the standard radar or radio links. E use of advanced RF techniques such as MIMO antennas, multiband antenna and feeding networks, and carrier aggregation (CA) could actively improve the performances of the standard radar or radio links. In such a framework, the design of a suitable radiating system and feeding networks can play a vital role in the design of new-generation communication devices. E Rotman lens has proven its capability to be a useful beamformer for designers of electronically scanned arrays [13,14,15,16,17,18,19] It is helpful for the design of multibeam or reconfigurable arrays because it offers a real-time delay phase shift capability that is independent of frequency and International Journal of Antennas and Propagation removes the need for expensive phase shifters to steer a beam over wide angles.
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