Capitalize on EDA When Developing MIMO, Phased-Array Antenna Systems, Part 2 (.PDF Download)

Part 1 of this two-part series discussed the development costs and complexity of new radar and communications systems utilizing phased-array antennas, and how these challenges are being addressed through new functionalities in electronic-design-automation (EDA) software. Part 2 delves into individual antenna-element development and its incorporation into an array simulation that accounts for mutual coupling between radiating elements, as well as positioning (edge, center, corner) within the array and impairments due to element failure.

Individual Antenna Design

From the example in Part 1, a 15-×-5 array presented the radiation patterns for an ideal isotropic antenna (gain = 0 dBi) and a simple patch antenna. In addition to the array configuration itself, the design team will likely want to specify the radiation pattern and size constraints for the individual antenna elements. This operation can be performed using the synthesis capabilities in the AntSyn antenna synthesis and optimization module within NI AWR Design Environment.

AntSyn uses an electromagnetic (EM) solver driven by proprietary evolutionary algorithms to explore multiple design options based on antenna specifications defined by the engineer. These specifications include typical antenna metrics, physical size constraints, and optional candidate antenna types (the user may select from a database of antenna types or let the software automatically select likely antenna types to optimize).