Enhanced mimo communication systems using reconfigurable metasurface antennas and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019103665-A1
Application number	US-201816138783-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2017
Publication date	Apr 4, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A MIMO communication system is provided. The system may include a first antenna comprising a first cavity, a first plurality of RF ports for generating a feed wave within the first cavity, and a first plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements as arranged on a surface of the first cavity as RF radiators. The first antenna is configured to generate a plurality of radiation patterns respectively corresponding to the first plurality of ports. The system may also include a second antenna comprising a second cavity and a second plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements arranged on a surface of the second cavity.

First claim

1 . A MIMO communication system, the system comprising:
a first antenna comprising:
a first cavity;
a first plurality of RF ports for generating a feed wave within the first cavity; and
a first plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements as arranged on a surface of the first cavity as RF radiators, wherein the first antenna is configured to generate a plurality of radiation patterns respectively corresponding to the first plurality of ports; and
a second antenna comprising a second cavity and a second plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements arranged on a surface of the second cavity.

2 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first cavity comprises a first front plate and a first back plate, wherein each of the first plurality of RF ports is coupled to the first back plate, wherein each of the first front plate and the first back plate comprise a metal.

3 - 6 . (canceled)

7 . The MIMO communication system of claim 2 , wherein the first cavity comprises a dielectric material disposed between the first front plate and the first back plate.

8 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first cavity is one of a 2D planar cavity comprising the first front plate parallel to the first back plate or a 1D waveguide comprising a tube.

9 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the second cavity comprises a second front plate and a second back plate.

10 - 14 . (canceled)

15 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of RF ports comprises a plurality of coaxial probes coupled to a plurality of radio units, wherein the feed wave inside the first cavity excited by the first plurality of RF ports is the sum of the fields from the plurality of coaxial probes.

16 . (canceled)

17 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , further comprising a first plurality of conductive pins within the first cavity.

18 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , further comprising a first plurality of conductive cylindrical posts along the surface of the first cavity.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of radiation patterns comprises a single directed beam.

21 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier and a phase shifter coupled to each of the first plurality of RF ports.

22 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , further comprising active elements coupled to each of the first plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements for adjustment of each element.

23 - 26 . (canceled)

27 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements is configured for discrete adjustment of each element or is configured for continuous adjustment of each element.

28 - 30 . (canceled)

31 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , further comprising a third antenna comprising a third cavity comprising a third front plate and a third back plate and a third plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements on the third front planar plate, wherein the third antenna is configured to receive one or more of scattered radiation patterns from one of more of the plurality of clustered regions.

32 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna is configured to receive a plurality of scattered radiation patterns from a plurality of clustered regions between the first antenna and the second antenna.

33 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the feed wave has an electric field, and wherein a maximum of the field is at one RF port, while minimum values or nodes of electric fields are situated at all other RF ports.

34 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the feed wave is one of an RF wave, a microwave frequency wave, or a mmW frequency wave.

35 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the feed wave has a bandwidth ranging from 0.5 to 8.0 percent of the central operating frequency.

36 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the RF ports is configured to be electrically isolated from each other within the first cavity.

37 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of radiation patterns is superposition of all radiations from the plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements.

38 - 39 . (canceled)

40 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality and second plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements comprises a metamaterial element.

41 - 43 . (canceled)

44 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna comprises a second plurality of RF ports coupled to the second back plate; wherein the second antenna is configured to generate a plurality of radiation patterns, wherein the second antenna is configured to be a transmitting metasurface, wherein the first antenna is configured to be a receiving metasurface.

45 - 46 . (canceled)

47 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements is configured to form a magnetic dipole.

48 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna has an aperture size substantially greater than a wavelength corresponding to an operating frequency.

49 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the spacing between the plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements is less than or equal to about one-half of a wavelength corresponding to an operating frequency.

50 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements is randomly arranged such that the spacing between the elements vary irregularly.

51 . The MIMO communication system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first cavity and the second cavity comprises a tunable impedance boundary.

52 - 54 . (canceled)

55 . A transmitting antenna, the antenna comprising:
a cavity; a plurality of RF ports for generating a feed wave within the cavity; and a plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements as arranged on a surface of the first cavity as RF radiators, wherein the antenna is configured to generate a plurality of radiation patterns respectively corresponding to the first plurality of ports.

56 - 93 . (canceled)

94 . A receiving antenna, the antenna comprising:
a cavity and a plurality of sub-wavelength artificially structured material elements arranged on a surface of the cavity; and a plurality of RF ports coupled to the cavity; where the antenna is configured to receive energy with a plurality of receive radiation patterns respectively corresponding to the plurality of ports.

95 - 117 . (canceled)

118 . A method for MIMO communication between a first antenna and a second antenna, the method comprising:
generating a feed

Assignees

• Univ Duke

Inventors

• Yoo Insang
• Faghih Imani Seyedmohammadreza
• Sleasman Timothy
• Smith David R

Classifications

• H01Q5/30

  Arrangements for providing operation on different wavebands · CPC title

• H01Q21/062

  using dipole aerials; (H01Q21/067, H01Q21/068 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q1/364 Primary

  using a particular conducting material, e.g. superconductor · CPC title

• H01Q1/523

  between antennas of an array · CPC title

• H04B7/0837

  using pre-detection combining (H04B7/0868 takes precedence) · CPC title