Adaptive Smart-Antenna System Covers 60-GHz Band

Feb. 24, 2009
With the worldwide application of unlicensed spectrum around 60 GHz, it has become feasible to develop communication systems with data rates in the gigabit/second range. Yet this frequency range poses challenges like high propagation loss, oxygen ...

With the worldwide application of unlicensed spectrum around 60 GHz, it has become feasible to develop communication systems with data rates in the gigabit/second range. Yet this frequency range poses challenges like high propagation loss, oxygen absorption, high antenna directivity, and limited wall penetration. To overcome these issues, a two-channel, hybrid smart-antenna system operating at the 60-GHz band has been developed by Nuri Celik and Magdy F. Iskander from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with Motorola Labs' Rudy Emrick, Steven J. Franson, and John Holmes.

Research has shown that 60-GHz signals cannot propagate through walls and diffract around objects without significant power losses. Yet such limitations also reduce interference and increase the possibility for frequency reuse. This solution uses several highly directive antennas and selects the highest-power antenna to overcome high propagation losses and provide antenna diversity to combat human shadowing. This system can detect the angle of arrival (AOA) for the incoming signal and adjust its beam pattern accordingly.

The implemented receiver comprises monolithic-microwave-integrated-circuit (MMIC) elements. By selecting the optimal twist angle to help overlap radiation patterns, the fine alignment of the transmit and receive beams is established through beamforming. See "Implementation and Experimental Verification of a Smart Antenna System Operating at 60-GHz Band," IEEE Transactions On Antennas And Propagation, September 2008, p. 2790.

About the Author

Nancy Friedrich | RF Product Marketing Manager for Aerospace Defense, Keysight Technologies

Nancy Friedrich is RF Product Marketing Manager for Aerospace Defense at Keysight Technologies. Nancy Friedrich started a career in engineering media about two decades ago with a stint editing copy and writing news for Electronic Design. A few years later, she began writing full time as technology editor at Wireless Systems Design. In 2005, Nancy was named editor-in-chief of Microwaves & RF, a position she held (along with other positions as group content head) until 2018. Nancy then moved to a position at UBM, where she was editor-in-chief of Design News and content director for tradeshows including DesignCon, ESC, and the Smart Manufacturing shows.

Sponsored Recommendations