Adaptive power controllable retrodirective array system for wireless sensor server applications

An adaptive power controllable retrodirective array system is presented. It is able to conserve battery power in an idle mode and wake up only when it needs to operate, extending the array system's lifetime. One application of this technology is for use as wireless sensor servers, which act as a relay point between wireless sensors and remote data collectors. The proposed retrodirective array is fabricated and tested at 5.8 GHz and uses an integrated rectenna and an analog switch, which controls a battery power source. When an RF signal is received by the antenna array, it is split between a rectenna and receiver (RX), where most power is sent to a rectenna. The collected dc voltage wakes up the system by activating a switch connected to a battery and the RX. When there is no interrogation, the switch turns off. Furthermore, the second and third harmonic rejection characteristic of a circular sector antenna is introduced so that it makes the system simpler by eliminating a low-pass filter in the rectenna. For the phase-conjugation retrodirective array, second subharmonic mixers are used by employing antiparallel diode pairs, which enables avoiding expensive high-frequency oscillators. It is experimentally demonstrated that the retrodirective array system with the proposed power management can retransmit the received signal toward the source when the received power is greater than -8.5dBm. Application of the retrodirective array system as a multifunctional RX array is also investigated.     

New 5.8-GHz circularly polarized retrodirective rectenna arrays for wireless power transmission

This paper proposes two new circularly polarized retrodirective rectenna arrays, including a 2 /spl times/ 2 array and a 4 /spl times/ 4 array. A proximity-coupled microstrip ring antenna is used as the retrodirective rectenna array element, which can automatically block harmonic signals up to the third order from reradiating by the rectifying circuit. These arrays are printed on a Rogers Duroid 5880 substrate of /spl epsiv//sub r/=2.2 with a two-layer structure, with a total thickness of 1.5748 mm (or 62 mil). The new retrodirective rectenna array can track the incoming power source signals automatically and is less sensitive to the power incident angle variations, i.e., main-beam alignment deviation. It can provide a nearly constant dc output voltage within /spl plusmn/10/spl deg/ and 90% dc output voltage within /spl plusmn/45/spl deg/. The conversion efficiencies of the two arrays are 73.3% and 55%, respectively, when the power density is 10 mW/cm/sup 2/. The retrodirective rectenna array can be used in the low-power density applications for microwave wireless power transmissions.     

Self-phasing antenna array techniques for mobile communicationsapplications

This paper provides a summary of the basic concepts of retrodirective antenna arrays. Originally this class of antenna was developed in the 1960s for direct satellite-to-ground transmission of high-power microwave energy. The explosive growth of mobile communications has, in the authors' opinion, reopened the debate for alternative applications of retrodirective array techniques. Advances in microstrip antenna design coupled with the availability of integrated circuit amplifier and mixer components permit minimum-complexity retrodirective antenna arrays to be constructed. Several different planar retrodirective antenna architectures are presented and their basic operational characteristics given. A novel application for co-operating retrodirective antennas in a duplex communication link with inherent space division multiple access capability is also described. Finally some of the operational parameters which could ultimately limit the performance of this class of antenna are discussed     

Reflector effects on the performance of a retrodirective antennaarray

This paper presents modeling strategies to determine the operating characteristics of a heterodyne phase-conjugate retrodirective Van Atta (1959) array in the presence of a plane reflector. The models used are based on physical and geometrical optics principles. Predictions of the operating characteristics of the array due to the close proximity of a plane metallic reflector are compared with experimental measurements. It is shown that provided the reflector is positioned at a distance greater than 1.25 times the separation distance between the transmitter and the retrodirective array its effect on the performance of the retrodirective array appears to be negligible     

方向回溯天线发展现状

与时间反演系统的时间反转原理类似,方向回溯天线基于相位共轭原理实现系统的相位反转,从而完成系统的自动波束聚焦,是一种新型的波束自跟踪天线。本文由方向回溯天线的性能和应用两个方面出发,介绍了近十年方向回溯天线的研究现状,具体包括方向回溯天线的极化特性、频率特性、新结构等性能,以及方向回溯天线在无线功率传输、射频识别、电子对抗等领域的应用,探究了方向回溯天线的发展趋势。     

方向回溯阵列的波束指向分析

以时间反演和相位共轭原理为理论基础讨论了方向回溯阵列的波束指向特性. 分别研究了线阵、平面阵和共形阵列在不同角度入射信号下的回溯信号波束指向,得到了幅度误差和角度误差随入射角的变化关系曲线,研究结果表明:对线阵、平面阵和共形阵列,随着入射角度的增大,阵列的波束指向角度误差和幅度误差都会增加. 最后在理论分析的基础上设计了一种球面共形阵,考虑了载体曲面对波束指向的影响,对其在空间内的波束指向进行了仿真验证,得到在16元球面共形阵入射俯仰角小于45°时,可以实现波束指向误差小于5°. 通过上述研究,进一步完善了方向回溯阵列波束指向误差理论,为方向回溯阵列设计提供了依据.     

A satellite data transmission antenna

A retrodirective satellite antenna for a broad bandwidth, satellite-to-ground data transmission link, is described. An information-collecting satellite which transmits its data in the direction of the ground receiver upon command, is considered. The satellite antenna described for this system is an active retrodirective antenna which utilizes the beam-forming characteristics of a phasing matrix. A signal from the ground station is received on a particular beam port of the matrix which corresponds to a particular beam-pointing direction. Control circuitry in the satellite activates a switching matrix and a transmitter so that the data-carrying signal is transmitted in the same direction from which the satellite is interrogated. Other retrodirective techniques in addition to the phasing-matrix antenna are evaluated in terms of their relative merit. The systems considered include the active Van Atta array, the automatic three-dimensional electronic scanning, antenna (ATHESA), the Luneberg lens and various other antenna array techniques.     

双极化方向回溯整流天线阵列设计与实验

提出了由双极化方向回溯Van Atta天线阵和差分整流电路组成的方向回溯整流天线阵,它能够避免接收波束未对准和收发天线极化失配而造成整流天线转换效率的急剧下降,使整流天线在宽入射角和任意极化时仍能保持稳定的直流输出.设计并测试了C波段2×2元阵列.实验结果表明,当入射波功率密度为3.43 mW/cm2时,双极化方向回溯整流天线阵列的垂直和水平极化端口归一化电压比大于0.8的入射角度范围分别为[-38°,38°]和[-31°,31°].当功率密度为4.32 mW/cm2时,两个极化端口均获得70.8%的最高整流效率.     

基于改进遗传算法的反向天线阵稀疏优化

对自适应遗传算法中交叉概率和变异概率动态调整规则进行改进,并结合基于适应度值的截断选择法,提出了改进的自适应遗传算法.将该算法应用于反向天线阵的稀疏设计,以阵元位置为优化参量,在保持反向性能的基础上,优化得到了合适的稀疏反向天线阵结构,有效地精简了阵列结构,结果优于现有文献中对稀疏反向天线阵的综合结果.     

Bow-tie retrodirective rectenna

A novel bow-tie retrodirective rectenna designed at 5.8 GHz is proposed. The new retrodirective rectenna combines a traditional rectenna with a retrodirective array. The new retrodirective rectenna array can automatically steer its main beam towards the power source and hence is not sensitive to the power incident angle changes. It can provide a constant DC output voltage within /spl plusmn/10/spl deg/ and 90% DC output voltage within /spl plusmn/30/spl deg/. The conversion efficiency of the arrays is 84% when the power density is 10 mW/cm/sup 2/.     

Satellite communications relay system using a retrodirective space antenna

A system has been developed for relaying messages via a satellite between earth points. In this system, messages transmitted to a satellite modulate a retrodirective antenna. Earth stations receive messages by irradiating the satellite antenna. Methods of modulating the retrodirective array are discussed with emphasis on methods to facilitate communications among several ground stations. There are advantages in spectrum usage and sharing with surface facilities. System design parameters are presented. Minimal power is required in the satellite as compared to the active communications satellites. Extremely high reliability is inherent in the design of the satellite electronic system, which can be made entirely from solid-state components.     

基于波束空间的方向回溯阵列指向修正方法

针对方向回溯阵列中收发异频带来的波束指向误差, 提出了一种基于波束空间预识别的指向修正方法.从方向回溯阵列的一般模型出发, 推导频偏造成的波束指向误差, 并确定相位补偿量与接收信号角度的函数关系.通过阵元空间到波束空间的转换判断接收信号角度区间, 确定近似相位补偿量, 实现异频收发下方向回溯阵列指向误差的修正.仿真结果表明:修正后指向误差降低了一个量级并且抗噪声能力提升.相比现有方法, 本方法立足方向回溯阵列的基本架构, 实现简单, 补偿效果明显, 抗噪声能力强, 为方向回溯阵列在异频收发领域的应用提供了新思路.     

2D phase-conjugated retrodirective array with information carrying capability

A new two-dimensional (2D) phase-conjugated retrodirective array with star-shaped antenna elements is proposed. The phase conjugators provide high isolation of -48 dB between RF and IF ports when RF/IF signals share the same ports in a balanced hybrid. By on-off keying modulation of the local oscillator (LO), the new 2D phase-conjugated retrodirective array can reflect the signal back to the interrogator with the modulation signal carried on it for information exchange. Experimental results show that this array can achieve 2D retrodirectivity within 120deg angle of wide scan range at arbitrary signal polarisation and injection direction     

Phase conjugator for active retrodirective array applications

A novel phase conjugator for active retrodirective array applications is presented. The circuit provides conversion gain as well as phase conjugating operation by using active devices, and results in a simple and compact design through the use of a common port for RF and IF signals. Measurement results indicate a 3.2 dB conversion gain with an RF-IF isolation of 20 dB. This phase conjugator can be used as a component in a retrodirective array when combined with an antenna     

Digital wireless sensor server using an adaptive smart-antenna/retrodirective array

A wireless sensor server is developed based on a reconfigurable active smart-antenna/retrodirective array. The system can serve as both a retrodirective array transponder and a smart-antenna receiver simply by changing the frequency of the local oscillator applied to the mixers, enabling it to utilize its hardware best to suit its communication environment. When operating as a direct-conversion receiver, the receiver array successfully demodulates a quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulated signal with circuit gain of 7 dB, and E/sub b//N/sub 0/ for BER=10/sup -4/ is approximately 12 dB without any error correction. In the retrodirective array mode, the system provides 20 dB circuit gain and 20 dB radio-frequency/intermediate-frequency isolation at the center frequency as well as phase conjugation, exhibiting excellent retrodirectivity. The mixers perform phase conjugation and modulation simultaneously, enabling the transmission of locally stored data. The local data is successfully extracted by an interrogator.     

Spherical retrodirective array

This paper derives the characteristics of a spherically-shaped retrodirective space array. The array can receive an incoming signal over4pisteradians, amplify, frequency translate, and modulate this signal, and then return it in the direction of the incident wave. The directivity of the array for every angle of incidence corresponds to the area illuminated by the incoming wave. In the array the retrodirective characteristic is obtained by a phase inversion technique that is realized in tunnel-diode image frequency converters. A circular cross section of the spherically-shaped retrodirective array is analyzed. The analysis is extended to the spherically-shaped array. It is shown that the effective aperture of a spherical array is smaller than the illuminated area. This reduction occurs because of a tapered amplitude distribution and a symmetrical phase error proportional to the frequency difference between incident wave and reradiated wave at the image frequency. The output spectrum of the converters in the array contains not only the image frequency signal but additional frequency components as well. Because of the phase characteristics of the spectral components, only the image frequency signal when reradiated by the array elements will add coherently in direction of the incident wave. The reradiation of the other frequency components is not collimated.     

Self-steered retrodirective arrays with amplification

Self-steered retrodirective arrays using a phase synthesizer are described. The array configuration permits combining of the signals from the individual elements at IF level. The performance of this array in noise is analyzed and compared with another type of self-steered array.     

Two-dimensional planar passive retrodirective array

A simple passive microstrip array design is introduced comprising four square microstrip patches interconnected with transmission lines to form a Van-Atta retrodirective array suitable as a building block in a larger two-dimensional self-tracking array. The resulting circuit measures 48/spl times/48/spl times/0.254 mm, operates at 10.24 GHz and yields 5 dB increase in return signal at bore-sight relative to a flat metal sheet having the same dimensions for incident linear polarisation. The -5 dB monostatic radar cross-section response is /spl plusmn/25/spl deg/ compared to /spl plusmn/12/spl deg/ measured for a flat metal sheet of equivalent dimensions. The reradiation characteristics of circularly polarised signals from the retrodirective structure are briefly discussed.     

Mutually exclusive data encoding for realization of a full duplexing self-steering wireless link using a retrodirective array transceiver

A two-way communication link is established between an interrogator and retrodirective antenna array. The link is realized by using standard time-domain modulation for data uplink to the retrodirective array, while outgoing data is coded onto the antenna polarization sense of the signal sent back to the interrogator. Using these noninterfering mutually exclusive modulations schemes, this system architecture is able to resolve the difficulty of dealing with the corruption of the outgoing retrodirected signal by the incoming interrogation signal inherent when using phase-conjugation mixers (PCMs). This paper will discuss the development of a novel PCM also used for polarization modulation and a polarization state detector for demodulation. Analysis of circuit design tolerances and affects of jammers on proper polarization detection is also shown. Demonstration of simultaneous data transfer is presented in simulation and measurement along with the array's automatic beam-steering ability.     

Sparse Planar Retrodirective Antenna Array Using Improved Adaptive Genetic Algorithm

An improved adaptive genetic algorithm is presented in this paper.It primarily includes two modified methods:one is novel adaptive probabilities of crossover and mutation,the other is truncated selection approach.This algorithm has been validated to be superior to the simple genetic algorithm (SGA) by a complicated binary testing function.Then the proposed algorithm is applied to optimizing the planar retrodirective array to reduce the cost of the hardware.The fitness function is discussed in the optimization example.After optimization,the sparse planar retrodirective antenna array keeps excellent retrodirectivity,while the array architecture has been simplified by 34％.The optimized antenna array can replace uniform full array effectively.Results show that this work will gain more engineering benefits in practice.