Enabling high performance wireless communication systems using reconfigurable antennas

Abstract

The use of multiple antenna systems (MIMO, etc.) and signal combining techniques (Maximal Ratio, Spatial, etc.) can create significant advantages in situations requiring a high degree of system agility. Furthermore, the ability to resolve coherent information channels in the context of electrically hostile environments (e.g., noise or jamming sources and complex scattering and/or multi-path environments) can be of significant importance in both logistic and battlefield environments. This work focuses on the combination of radiation reconfigurable antennas and signal processing techniques, focusing on their applications in advanced wireless communication systems and mobile or ad hoc networks. Experimental data demonstrating these concepts will be provided for a canonical structure capable of integrating multiple reconfigurable radiation antennas that have been designed to switch between broadside and endfire radiation characteristics (operating over a common impedance bandwidth). This work reveals both the possibilities and the importance of using reconfigurable radiation antennas, and gauges the potential impact on applications requiring a high degree of performance from the radiating structure(s).