Modeling & Simulating Antenna Arrays and

RF Beamforming Algorithms

Giorgia Zucchelli – Product Marketing MathWorks

giorgia.zucchelli@mathworks.nl

© 2016 The MathWorks, Inc. 1

Agenda

 Introducing antenna design in MATLAB using full wave EM simulation

– Designing and analyzing custom antennas and antenna arrays
– Improving antenna design workflow efficiency through speed up and optimization methods
– Including edge and coupling effects for more realistic antenna array modeling
 Modelling the architecture of RF front ends
– Developing baseband and RF beamforming algorithms
– Integrating antenna arrays into complex systems

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What Are the Challenges with Antenna and RF Design?

 Understanding the antenna requirements

– Individual antenna parameters: frequency, directivity, geometry, material, efficiency
– What antenna or antenna array do I use? Many types, very diverse, infinite configurations
– Electromagnetic solvers: correct analysis set up
 Exploring the RF architecture while considering different scenarios
– Evaluate the cost of off-the-shelf components: overdesign vs digital calibration and correction
– Design adaptive systems: multi-standard, multi-frequency, resilient to interferers
 Wireless system integration: does my system really work?
– How do I partition my system?
– Antenna + RF + digital signal processing + control logic

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Introducing Antenna Design in MATLAB
Using Full Wave EM Simulation

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Antenna Toolbox Demo
Design and analysis of one antenna element, in just 5 lines of MATLAB code

>> p = patchMicrostrip
>> p.Height = 0.01;
>> impedance(p, (500e6:10e6:2e9));
>> current(p, 1.7e9);
>> pattern(p, 1.7e9);

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Antenna Toolbox

 Easy design
– Library of parameterized antenna elements
– Functionality for the design of antenna arrays
– No need for full CAD design
 Rapid simulation setup
– Method of Moments field solver for port, field, and surface analysis
– No need to be an EM expert
 Seamless integration
– Model the antenna together with signal processing algorithms
– Rapid iteration of different antenna scenarios for radar and
communication systems design

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Antenna Library: Readily Available Geometries

 Dipole antennas
– Dipole, Vee, Folded, Meander, Triangular bowtie, Rounded bowtie
 Monopole antennas
– Monopole, Top hat, Inverted-F, inverted-L, Helix
 Patch antennas
– Microstrip patch, PIFA
 Spirals
– Equiangular, Archimedean
 Loops
– Circular, rectangular
 Backing structures
– Reflector and cavity
 Other common antennas
– Yagi Uda, Slot, Vivaldi, Biquad, Horn 7
What if my Antenna is not in the Library?

 Define your custom planar structure

– Define the antenna geometry using PDE Toolbox
– Define the mesh using MATLAB
delaunayTriangulation
– Use third party tools to generate a mesh structure
 Import 2D mesh with Antenna Toolbox
– Define the feeding point
– Analyse the antenna
 Integrate your custom antenna
– Add a backing structure
– Define a dielectric substrate
– Build an array with custom elements

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What if my Antenna is Mounted on a Dielectric Substrate?
Free space (isolation)

 Antenna are often mounted on substrates

 Dielectric properties:
Dielectric Relative permittivity Loss Tangent
Air 1 0
Other >1 (typically <10) >0 (typically ~1e-3)
“metal” antenna
 Dielectric properties affect resonance, bandwidth, (ideal conductor)
efficiency, pattern …
 Use the dielectric catalogue listing existing materials
 Define your own dielectric material

Dielectric substrate 9
Increasing the Efficiency of the Antenna Design Workflow

Modelling the dielectric substrate can slow down analysis time:

 Use antennas in free space for first-cut design
– Combine with optimization routines to rapidly find out a suitable starting point
 Use parallel computing to speed up design space exploration

Poor directivity Optimized pattern 10

Building your First Antenna Array

>> a = linearArray
>> a.Element = p;
>> a.ElementSpacing = 0.1;
>> a.NumElements = 4;
>> show(a);
>> patternElevation(a, 1.7e9,0);

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What if I Need to Customize my Array?

 Build regular arrays where you can change the properties of

individual elements (rotation, size, tapering)
 Describe conformal (heterogeneous) arrays in terms of
element type and arbitrary position

>> arr = conformalArray;

>> d = dipole;
>> b = bowtieTriangular;
>> arr.Element = {d, b};
>> arr.ElementPosition(1,:) = [0 0 0];
>> arr.ElementPosition(2,:) = [0 0.5 0];

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 What if my Array is Really Large?

 Infinite Array Analysis

– Repeat unit cell infinitely
– Impedance and pattern become function of frequency and scan angle
– Ignore edge effects
– Captures mutual coupling
 Validate with full wave simulation on smaller arrays

Scan Impedance @10GHz Scan Impedance Power Pattern

0deg Azimuth 45deg Azimuth 90deg Azimuth 0deg Azimuth
45deg Elevation

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What if I Need to Integrate my Antenna Array with Spatial
Processing Algorithms?
 You need access to the far field radiation pattern of each element of an antenna array
– The amplitude and phase of the signal of each individual element allow you to develop
spatial algorithms
 Phased Array System Toolbox provides algorithms and tools to design, simulate, and analyze
phased array signal processing systems
– Antenna array transmitters and receivers
– Beamforming
– Estimation of Direction of Arrival

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Computing the Antenna Array Pattern for Phased Array Algorithms

 Phased Array System Toolbox computes the array pattern using the superposition of the pattern
of each individual element
– ULA, URA, UCA and conformal arrays use the same pattern for all elements
– Heterogeneous arrays have different patterns for different elements

...
% Import antenna element in Phased Array
>> myURA = phased.URA;
Phased Array System Toolbox antenna array
>> myURA.Element = dipole;
Antenna Toolbox element (isolated)

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What if you Need to Take into Account …

 Coupling effects in between antenna elements?

 Edge effects?

Pattern multiplication of the isolated element is not sufficient!

Isolated element
Full wave pattern superposition Comparison

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Computing the Accurate Radiation Pattern of Antenna Arrays

 Antenna Toolbox arrays perform full wave EM analysis

– Isolated element vs embedded element vs full array

Embedded element
Isolated element Full wave

pattern(l, 10e9, ...

pattern(p, 10e9); pattern(l, 10e9);
'ElementNumber',2);
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 Modelling the Array Radiation Pattern in Practice

Are the antenna elements spaced far apart?

Compute the isolated

Homogenous array
element pattern and apply
What is the size of the array? pattern superposition

Small Mid Large

Compute the pattern for Compute the pattern for the Compute the pattern for the
each element embedded central and the edge (corner) central element with the
in the array element embedded in the array infinite array approach

Heterogeneous array
Validate (when possible)
with full EM simulation
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 Antenna Array, Impedance, and Coupling

 Adjacent structures affect the impedance of an antenna embedded with an array

– Resonant frequency
– Electrical coupling in between antenna elements
Active element
Isolated element
Full array

impedance(p, freq);
S=sparameters(l, freq);
impedance(l, freq);
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Example: Antenna Array Design and Integration
Control logic to determine the
beamforming angle

Modulation error rate

Desired signal + interferer

Baseband
Estimation of direction of arrival Beamforming

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 Example: Antenna Array Design and Integration

Full wave antenna array design

Antenna array model based on pattern

superposition of the isolated element

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 Example: Antenna Array Design and Integration

Antenna coupling and loading (S-parameters)

Antenna matching
Gain, IP3, NF of the RF receiver

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Modelling the Architecture of RF Front Ends

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RF System-Level Design

Do you need to?

 Design the architecture and define the specs of the RF components
 Integrate RF front ends with adaptive algorithms such as DPD, AGC, beamforming
 Test and debug the implementation of the transceiver before going in the lab
 Provide a model of the RF transceiver to your colleagues and customers

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You Need RF System Simulators

 RF and analog behavioral models with sufficient expressivity

 Ability to integrate control, calibration and signal processing algorithms
 Fast simulation of baseband + RF systems

Radio Frequency Small simulation Long Simulation

Signals time-step Runs

~10psec

~5GHz

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Trade Off Simulation Speed and Modeling Fidelity

Deal with RF complexity with:

 Models at high levels of abstraction Signal
bandwidth
Equivalent

Spectrum
 Solvers that use larger time-step
Baseband

Simulation speed
Carrier freq

Spectrum
Circuit
Envelope
DC Carrier 1 Carrier 2 freq

Spectrum
True
Pass-Band
Modeling fidelity
freq

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Circuit Envelope – Where To Start?

RF Budget Analyzer App

 App available with RF Toolbox
 Implements power/noise/IP3 RF link budget analytical computations
 Better than similar custom-made spreadsheets – takes into account mismatches
 Generates models/testbenches for Circuit Envelope simulations
 Proves consistency between analytical and simulation results
 Implements a top-down design workflow

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Add RF components Export to SimRF RF Cascade

Component specifications Cascade Budget Analysis

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Export to SimRF

 Requires SimRF only

 Simple testbench to measure power and gain
 Tstop = 0  static analysis (harmonic balance)
 Input/output ports and RF configuration are setup correctly
 Copy and paste to include RF model in more complex set ups

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Export to SimRF Testbench

 Requires SimRF and DSP System Toolbox

 Set-up to measure gain, noise and IP3 using time domain simulation
 If you have filtering elements, make sure that you use narrow-band simulation to get
accurate narrowband results (e.g. spot noise)
 Validate that the RF front end is behaving as expected

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 Example: MIMO RF Front End Design and Integration

Antenna coupling and loading (S-parameters)

Antenna matching network
RF and IF Filters described with Touchstone files
IF demodulation with image rejection
Non-linearity of the amplifiers
Thermal Noise
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 Example: MIMO Front End with RF Beamforming

Estimation of direction of arrival

RF phase shifting

Antenna coupling and loading (S-parameters)

Antenna matching network
RF and IF Filters described with Touchstone files
IF demodulation with image rejection
Non-linearity of the amplifiers
Thermal Noise
RF phase shifting and signal combiners
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 From Bits to Antenna (and Back) Algorithms
Mixed-Signal beamforming, beamsteering, MIMO
Antenna, Antenna arrays Continuous & discrete time
type of element, # elements, coupling, edge effects
• Phased Array System Toolbox
• Simulink (Simscape) • Communications System Toolbox
• Antenna Toolbox • DSP System Toolbox • LTE System Toolbox
• Phased Array System Toolbox • Control System Toolbox • WLAN System Toolbox

N
RX
LNA ADC DSP

PA DAC
TX
• Phased Array System Toolbox
• Communications System Toolbox • Instrument Control Toolbox
• SimRF
• Phased Array System Toolbox • LTE System Toolbox
• RF Toolbox
• WLAN System Toolbox
Channel RF Impairments
interference, clutter, noise frequency dependency, non-linearity, noise, mismatches Waveforms 33
Conclusion

 You don’t need to be a modeling expert to design antennas, antenna arrays and RF front ends

 Integrate your antenna array together with the RF front end and with digital signal processing
algorithms to model radar and communication systems

 Full system simulation allows exploring different scenarios before lab prototyping

 Share the executable specifications of your systems with colleagues, customers, and suppliers

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 Thanks for your attention

Questions?

giorgia.zucchelli@mathworks.nl

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