Reconfigurable antennas and radio wave propagation at millimeter-wave frequencies
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School of Electrical Engineering |
Doctoral thesis (article-based)
| Defence date: 2016-09-02
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Authors
Date
2016
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
en
Pages
62 + app. 56
Series
Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS, 151/2016
Abstract
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.Description
Supervising professor
Räisänen, Antti V., Prof., Aalto University, Department of Radio Science and Engineering, FinlandThesis advisor
Kürner, Thomas, Prof., Technische Universität Braunschweig, GermanyAla-Laurinaho, Juha, Dr., Aalto University, Department of Radio Science and Engineering, Finland
Keywords
reconfigurable antennas, beam switching, high-capacity communications, radio wave propagation, mm-wave, ray-tracing
Other note
Parts
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[Publication 1]: V. Semkin, O. Platonov, M. Kyrö, and A. V. Räisänen, “Liquid metal patch antenna and antenna array for WLAN applications,” Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, vol. 56, no. 10, pp. 2462-2464, Oct. 2014.
DOI: 10.1002/mop.28612 View at publisher
- [Publication 2]: V. Semkin, A. Bisognin, M. Kyrö, V.-M. Kolmonen, C. Luxey, F. Ferrero, F. Devillers, and A. V. Räisänen, “Conformal antenna array for millimeter-wave communications: performance evaluation,” International Journal of Wireless and Microwave Technologies, 2015, available online, doi:10.1017/S1759078715001282
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[Publication 3]: V. Semkin, F. Ferrero, A. Bisognin, J. Ala-Laurinaho, C. Luxey, F. Devillers, and A. V. Räisänen, “Beam switching conformal antenna array for mm-wave communications,” IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, vol. 15, pp. 28-31, 2016.
DOI: 10.1109/LAWP.2015.2426510 View at publisher
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[Publication 4]: V. Semkin, M. Jacob, T. Kürner, A. Bisognin, F. Ferrero, C. Luxey, and A. V. Räisänen, “Estimation of optimum antenna configurations supported by realistic propagation models at 60 GHz,” European Conference on Antennas and Propag. (EuCAP2014), The Hague, The Netherlands, Apr. 2014, pp. 3434-3438.
DOI: 10.1109/EuCAP.2014.6902567 View at publisher
- [Publication 5]: M. Kyrö, V. Semkin, and V.-M. Kolmonen, “Empirical characterization of scattering pattern of built surfaces at mm-wave frequencies,”European Conference on Antennas and Propag. (EuCAP2013), Gothenburg, Sweden, Apr. 2013, pp. 112-115.
- [Publication 6]: V. Semkin, U. Virk, A. Karttunen, K. Haneda, and A. V. Räisänen, “Eband propagation channel measurements in an urban street canyon,”The 9th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP 2015), Lisbon, Portugal, Apr. 2015.
- [Publication 7]: V. Semkin, D. Solomitckii, R. Naderpour, S. Andreev, Y. Koucheryavy, and A.V. Räisänen, “Characterization of radio links at 60 GHz using simple geometrical and highly accurate 3D models,” submitted to IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (original manuscript submitted 21.04.2016, under major revision at the time of printing the thesis), 2016.