IQC‐based robustness analysis of discrete‐time linear time‐varying systems

The paper investigates the robust stability and performance of uncertain linear time‐varying (LTV) systems using an integral quadratic constraint (IQC) based analysis approach. Specifically, previous theoretical work on IQC‐based robustness analysis of linear time‐invariant (LTI) systems is extended to discrete‐time LTV systems. In the case of a general LTV nominal system, the analysis solution is provided in terms of an infinite‐dimensional convex optimization problem. This optimization problem reduces into a finite‐dimensional semidefinite program when the nominal system in question is finite horizon, periodic, or, more generally, eventually periodic. Finally, the results are applied to an unmanned aircraft control system executing an aggressive maneuver, where the developed techniques are used to find the region in which the aircraft is guaranteed to reside at the end of its planned trajectory. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristic analysis of reverse‐L‐shaped microstrip‐fed large‐bandwidth printed slot antenna

The characteristics of a reverse‐L‐shaped microstrip‐fed structure is analyzed using the finite difference time domain method, and the characteristics of the proposed antenna are compared with a conventional antenna. The return loss, radiation resistance, and voltage–standing wave ratio in the frequency domain are calculated by Fourier transforming the time domain results. When the proposed feed structure is used, the bandwidth is extended in proportion to the slot width and the radiation resistance has the low value. When the slot width is 16 mm, the experimental bandwidth is approximately 50% (?10 dB ≥ S₁₁) at the center frequency of 2.3 GHz. In addition, the experimental data for the impedance and radiation pattern of the antenna are described. They are in good agreement with the calculated results. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 12, 496–502, 2002. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mmce.10055     

On the Stability of Zero Dynamics of a Single‐Link Flexible Manipulator for a Class of Parametrized Outputs

In order to correct the misinterpretation which has occurred in two recent works concerning the stability of infinite‐dimensional zero dynamics, the stability of zero dynamics of a noncollocated single‐link flexible manipulator is considered in this article for a class of outputs containing a constant parameter. The characteristic equation governing the eigenvalues of zero dynamics is derived. The distribution of these eigenvalues on the complex plane (which depends on the values of the constant parameter) can be found analytically by using the methods of infinite product expansion and root locus. The equivalence of the eigenvalues of zero dynamics and the zeros of the transfer function is also verified. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A compact planar inverted‐F antenna with U‐shaped strip for all‐metal‐shell handset application

A compact dual‐band planar inverted‐F antenna (PIFA) with U‐shaped strip is proposed in this work for all‐metal‐shell mobile telephone application. As metal‐shell handsets are getting more and more popular nowadays, it raises a big challenge in antenna design as the metal‐shell associated with surrounding electronic components like front‐back‐cameras and telephone receiver would affect the antenna performance. This work provides an optional solution to alleviate this problem, where the metal shell of the handset and a U‐shaped strip are utilized as part of the antenna. The proposed antenna is able to generate radiation at 2.4 GHz for Wi‐Fi application with the help of the metal shell while using the U‐shaped strip can achieve a resonance at 1.575 GHz for GPS application. A prototype has been fabricated to verify the radiation performance in a practical handset test environment.     

Discrete‐Valued Model Predictive Control Using Sum‐of‐Absolute‐Values Optimization

In this paper, we propose a new design method of discrete‐valued model predictive control for continuous‐time linear time‐invariant systems based on sum‐of‐absolute‐values (SOAV) optimization. The finite‐horizon discrete‐valued control design is formulated as an SOAV optimal control, which is an expansion of L¹ optimal control. It is known that under the normality assumption, the SOAV optimal control exists and takes values in a fixed finite alphabet set if the initial state lies in a subset of the reachable set. In this paper, we analyze the existence and discreteness property for systems that do not necessarily satisfy the normality assumption. Then, we extend the finite‐horizon SOAV optimal control to infinite‐horizon model predictive control (MPC). We give sufficient conditions for the recursive feasibility and the stability of the MPC‐based feedback system in the presence of bounded noise. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Topological design of modular structures under arbitrary loading

A numerical method for the topological design of periodic continuous domains under general loading is presented. Both the analysis and the design are defined over a single cell. Confining the analysis to the repetitive unit is obtained by the representative cell method which by means of the discrete Fourier transform reduces the original problem to a boundary value problem defined over one module, the representative cell. The repeating module is then meshed into a dense grid of finite elements and solved by finite element analysis. The technique is combined with topology optimization of infinite spatially periodic structures under arbitrary static loading. Minimum compliance structures under a constant volume of material are obtained by using the densities of material as design variables and by satisfying a classical optimality criterion which is generalized to encompass periodic structures. The method is illustrated with the design of an infinite strip possessing 1D translational symmetry and a cyclic structure under a tangential point force. A parametric study presents the evolution of the solution as a function of the aspect ratio of the representative cell.     

A dipole‐type millimeter‐wave antenna with directional radiation characteristics

A dipole‐type millimeter‐wave (mm‐wave) antenna with directional radiation characteristics is presented. A radiating patch structure composed of a dipole‐type radiation patch and a rectangular‐shaped parasitic patch are initially investigated to achieve a wider bandwidth. To further improve the operating bandwidth and to realize a directional radiation characteristic, this radiating patch structure is top‐loaded above a conducting cavity‐backed ground structure, which has a low profile (thickness of 3 mm). The measured results show that the proposed mm‐wave antenna can achieve a wide 10‐dB bandwidth of 51.3% (29.6‐50.0 GHz) and stable gain across the desired frequency range. Furthermore, good directional characteristics over the entire mm‐wave frequency band with a compact antenna size of 0.64λ_40GHz × 0.91_λ40GHz × 0.43_λ40GHz are also realized. Hence, it is suitable for many small size wireless mm‐wave systems.     

Performance characterization of wideband,wide‐angle scan arrays of cavity‐backed U‐slot microstrip patch antennas

This work looks at the use of wideband cavity‐backed U‐slot microstrip antennas in finite phased arrays. This configuration retains the single‐patch and single‐layer characteristics of conventional microstrip antenna arrays and provides a good impedance matching over wider scan angles when electrically thick substrates are used to improve the frequency bandwidth. The characteristics of finite phased arrays of U‐slot rectangular microstrip patches enclosed in cylindrical cavities are analyzed from a validated hybrid methodology based on the finite element method, the modal analysis, and the properties of spherical waves. The results are compared with those obtained using an infinite array model. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2009.     

Novel broadband bow‐tie antenna with high‐gain performance using electromagnetic coupling feed

A novel broadband bow‐tie antenna with high‐gain performance throughout the operating band is proposed and investigated in this article. This folded sectorial bow‐tie antenna is fed by a Г‐shaped strip balun, and the electromagnetic coupling feed mechanism is easy to optimize the impedance matching. The study of proposed antenna performance with different geometric parameters has been conducted. The final design is fabricated and measured, and the results exhibit a good impedance bandwidth of approximately 93.3% for VSWR≤2 ranging from 1.35 to 3.71 GHz, stable gain of 8.43‐10.02 dBi, and unidirectional radiation patterns over the whole operating band. Broadband coverage, stable high‐gain performance, and the simple structure make this antenna an excellent candidate for wireless communication systems.     

Theoretical and numerical comparisons of looped functionals and clock‐dependent Lyapunov functions—The case of periodic and pseudo‐periodic systems with impulses

The stability of uncertain periodic and pseudo‐periodic systems with impulses is analyzed in the looped‐functional and clock‐dependent Lyapunov function frameworks. These alternative and equivalent ways for characterizing discrete‐time stability have the benefit of leading to stability conditions that are convex in the system matrices, hence suitable for robust stability analysis. These approaches, therefore, circumvent the problem of computing the monodromy matrix associated with the system, which is known to be a major difficulty when the system is uncertain. Convex stabilization conditions using a non‐restrictive class of state‐feedback controllers are also provided. The obtained results readily extend to uncertain impulsive periodic and pseudo‐periodic systems, a generalization of periodic systems that admit changes in the ‘period’ from one pseudo‐period to another. The obtained conditions are expressed as infinite‐dimensional semidefinite programs, which can be solved using recent polynomial programming techniques. Several examples illustrate the approach, and comparative discussions between the different approaches are provided. A major result obtained in the paper is that despite being equivalent, the approach based on looped functional reduces to the one based on clock‐dependent Lyapunov functions when a particular structure for the looped functional is considered. The conclusion is that the approach based on clock‐dependent Lyapunov functions is preferable because of its lower computational complexity and its convenient structure enabling control design. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel wideband high‐gain modified biquad dipole antenna

This article thoroughly investigates a novel modified biquad dipole antenna with a simple structure, wideband, high‐gain and linear polarization key features for wireless communication systems fabricated on FR4 substrate. The proposed antenna is investigated using circular wire loop antenna designing and is, then, extended to a strip structure antenna. Here, a circular reflector is employed to achieve maximum gain, while a coax line feeds the dipole element. Additionally, the presence of a balun, or lack thereof, is examined. The bazooka balun balances the coaxial cable and increases the bandwidth. Consequently, a wide bandwidth and a triple bandwidth are achieved. The resulting parameters demonstrate that the entire S, partial L and C IEEE radio bands comprise the bandwidth of the proposed antenna. The simulated current distribution, experimented and simulated efficiency, radiation pattern, reflection coefficient and gain of the designed antenna are also examined. The simulation and experimentation results exhibit an impedance bandwidth of 105.4% (1.3‐4.2 GHz) for (S₁₁ < ?10 dB). The broadside radiation pattern fills the entire band with maximum simulated and measured gains of 11.8 and 11.02 dBi, respectively. The simulated and measured results tie in closely with each other.     

Design of a compact protrudent‐shaped ultra‐wideband multiple‐input‐multiple‐output/diversity antenna with band‐rejection capability

In this endeavor, a new multiple‐input‐multiple‐output antenna with a sharp rejection at wireless local area network (WLAN) band is designed and practically examined for portable wireless ultra‐wideband applications. The intended diversity antenna possess a small size of 15 mm × 26 mm and two inverted L‐strip are loaded over the conventional rectangular patch antenna to form protrudent‐shaped radiator that acts as a radiating element. The sharp band‐rejection capability at WLAN is established by incising the L‐shaped slits at the decoupling structure. More than ?21 dB isolation is accomplished for the complete working band (ie, 2.87 ‐17 GHz). Degradation in the antenna efficiency at the center frequency of band rejection corroborates the good interference rejection capability. The working capabilities of the intended antenna are tested by using the isolation between the ports, total efficiency, gain, envelope correlation coefficient, radiation pattern, mean effective gain, and total active reflection coefficient.     

Parameter extraction of interdigital slow‐wave coplanar waveguide circuits using finite difference frequency domain algorithm

The slow wave effect can be obtained by a capacitively loaded structure with a symmetrical interdigital line connected on both sides of the coplanar waveguide (CPW) central line. The ferroelectric thin film with high dielectric constant can reduce the size of circuit and make it possible to realize tunable devices such as filter by applying voltage on it. Actually, this kind of slow wave structure is a periodic guided‐wave structure and can be analyzed by using classic finite difference frequency domain (FDFD) method for periodic guided‐wave structures. However, the very compact slow‐wave structures will usually result in simulation errors when the classic FDFD method is adopted, which will lead to a nonsymmetrical generalized eigenvalue problem. In this article, the shift‐and‐invert (SI) Arnoldi method is used to directly resolve this nonsymmetrical generalized eigenvalue problem. As a result, the accuracy of FDFD algorithm is improved. Especially for the large scale eigenvalue problem, SI method can also have a very fast speed of calculation. By means of its complex propagation constant obtained from simulation, one can extract circuit parameters of the interdigital capacitor. Consequently, one can analyze and design relevant resonators and filters in a quick and accurate manner, which are constructed with such interdigital slow wave structures. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2008.     

S‐shaped planar antenna with 45° tilted bidirectional radiation pattern for motorcycle helmets

An S‐shaped planar antenna (SPA) with a bidirectional radiation pattern and beam tilt characteristic is proposed to achieve maximum communication distance for helmet applications. The proposed SPA is comprised of an S‐shaped radiation strip (consisting of a microstrip meander line and two main arms with two inverted L‐shaped parasitic elements) and a rectangular ground plane, where a simplified microstrip power divider is introduced by modifying the feed structure in the center of the SPA, such that the S‐shaped radiation strip works in the second resonant mode. The proposed SPA generates a tilted beam in the E‐plane with an angle of 45°, which is attributed to the obliquely staggered arms of the antenna at a distance. By introducing inverted L‐shaped parasitic elements at the end of the two arms, the directivity of the bidirectional radiation pattern can be further improved, thereby increasing the antenna gain. The working principle is analyzed theoretically, and the effects of the antenna structural parameters on the radiation pattern are also analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the 3:1 VSWR impedance bandwidth is 120 MHz, with a realized peak gain of 1.5 dBi at 2.45 GHz. The proposed antenna is designed for real‐world applications, allowing the antenna to be obliquely installed while keeping the peak gain direction horizontal for maximum communication distance.     

Wideband cavity‐backed log‐periodic‐slot end‐fire antenna with vertical polarization for conformal application

A 6–18 GHz wideband cavity‐backed log‐periodic‐slot end‐fire antenna with vertical polarization for conformal application is presented. The log‐periodic folded slots and parasitic slots with 10 slot elements are applied to cover 6–18 GHz frequency band and the log‐periodic metallic cavity is placed under each slot element to keep wideband performance and prevent the effects of large metallic carrier on radiation patterns. The ground plane etched with log‐periodic slots is reversed and touched directly to the backed cavity and a dielectric cover is added to the antenna, to further improve the antenna performance. Meanwhile, a broadband microstrip‐coplanar waveguide transition is inserted in the antenna for measurements. With these designs, the proposed antenna shows good impedance matching (|S₁₁|<27 dB) and end‐fire gain (>4 dBi) performances in 6–18 GHz. The proposed antenna also keeps low‐profile and easy flush‐mounted characteristic which is suitable for conformal applications of high speed moving carriers.     

Development of “H‐Shaped” monopole antenna for IEEE 802.11a and HIPERLAN 2 applications in the laptop computer

A very low profile and ultra‐thin “H‐Shaped” antenna for IEEE 802.11a and HIPERLAN 2 wireless applications in the laptop computer is developed. The antenna is designed using only a pure copper strip of size 17.5(L) × 4(W) mm² with thickness of only 0.035 mm. The novelty of the proposed antenna is that the antenna is designed with only one rectangular radiating strip without using any additional reactive components, vias or three dimensional structure. Furthermore, the proposed antenna does not require any additional ground plane for installing in laptops. The proposed antenna is comprised of one radiating strip, one rectangular stub, and two resonating slots, namely, “X” and “Y” of length 7.5 mm and 7 mm, respectively. The proposed structure resonates at around 5.5 GHz can cover the (5.15‐5.35/5.725‐5.825) GHz IEEE 802.11a and (5.15‐5.35/5.470‐5.725/5.725‐5.925) GHz HIPERLAN 2 bands. The fabricated prototype antenna has measured impedance bandwidth (VSWR<2) of 15% (5.10‐5.92 GHz) across the operating bands. The measured radiation patterns are nearly omnidirectional along with stable gain of 5 dBi. Moreover, the proposed antenna exhibits excellent radiation efficiency of around 90% across the operating bands. The simulated and measured results of antenna are found to be in good agreement. The very low profile and ultra‐thin structure make it an excellent candidate for wireless operations in the ultra‐thin laptop computers.     

Decoupling antenna array with X‐shaped strip

Manipulating mutual coupling between antenna array elements is always a critical essential in designing phased arrays. In this article, an X‐shaped strip is applied to decouple a five‐element E‐plane microstrip antenna array, whose adjacent elements' center‐to‐center spacing is only 0.45 λ₀. Simulation and measurement results reveal that the proposed array employing the loaded structure exhibits excellent decoupling capability, as in comparison to the reference array, impedance of every port is well matched, mutual coupling between both adjacent elements and nonadjacent ones is efficiently reduced and radiation patterns of every individual patch are markedly corrected. Besides, when beam scanning is performed, the proposed array is equipped with higher gain and lower SLL. The X‐shaped strip predicts a promising application in phased array and a large‐scale array.     

Full‐wave analysis of printed leaky‐wave phased arrays

In this work, we propose a full‐wave numerical approach for efficient analysis and design of printed leaky‐wave phased arrays. The proposed technique is based on the method of moments in the spectral domain applied to a leaky structure in a periodic environment. The implementation exploits suitable analytical manipulations to strongly improve numerical convergence. Planar array configurations based on microstrip leaky lines have been considered in detail for accurate evaluations of the relevant dispersion and radiation properties. The effects of phase‐shifted feeding of leaky lines have particularly been investigated as a function of the involved physical parameters, to achieve fundamental information on the beam scanning features both in elevation and azimuth. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 12: 272–287, 2002.     

Multi‐scale Assemblage for Procedural Texturing

A procedural pattern generation process, called multi‐scale “assemblage” is introduced. An assemblage is defined as a multi‐scale composition of “multi‐variate” statistical figures, that can be kernel functions for defining noise‐like texture basis functions, or that can be patterns for defining structured procedural textures. This paper presents two main contributions: 1) a new procedural random point distribution function, that, unlike point jittering, allow us to take into account some spatial dependencies among figures and 2) a “multi‐variate” approach that, instead of defining finite sets of constant figures, allows us to generate nearly infinite variations of figures on‐the‐fly. For both, we use a “statistical shape model”, which is a representation of shape variations. Thanks to a direct GPU implementation, assemblage textures can be used to generate new classes of procedural textures for real‐time rendering by preserving all characteristics of usual procedural textures, namely: infinity, definition independency (provided the figures are also definition independent) and extreme compactness.