Robust DOA estimation and target docking for mobile robots

Direction of arrival (DOA) guided automated target acquisition and docking system is proposed for mobile robots employing the dual-directional antenna system. The dual-directional antenna estimates the DOA of the signal of interest using the ratio of the signal strengths between two adjacent antennas. In practice, DOA estimation poses a significant technical challenge, since the RF signal is easily distorted by the environmental conditions. Therefore, the robot often loses its way in an electromagnetically disturbed environment. To cope with this problem, a robust DOA estimation algorithm is developed based on Kalman filtering. This algorithm allows the robot to reduce the potential error in the estimated DOA, and adjust the robot’s heading to the target transponder without needing to know the positions of current and previous measurements in a global coordinate system. The simulation and experiment results clearly demonstrate that the mobile robot equipped with the developed system is able to dock to a target transponder in an indoor environment partially occupied by obstacles.     

基于改进的GABP算法优化5G天线阵列

为了加快天线建模速度,针对现有天线设计软件天线参数优化速度过慢问题进行了建模研究。首先通过几种常用的启发式算法优化后的多层前馈（Back propagation,BP）神经网络对天线参数进行优化比较,并对其中最优的算法遗传算法优化BP（Genetic algorithm BP,GABP）神经网络算法进行深度改进。其次采用自适应算法和模拟退火算法优化算法对GABP进行优化。最终通过模拟试验验证出自适应GABP算法对于天线参数优化的误差最小。该研究为天线设计软件中天线优化方法提供了一种误差较小的新方法,拥有更高的预测准确度,拟合速度也大大提升。实验对比证明了该算法的可行性。     

NIM反射试验场电性能评估核心技术研究

评测中国计量科学研究院(NIM)新建反射试验场测试装置的准确性,需要足够准确的基准值。通过分析对比矩量法模型与实测模型,设计制作了一种小馈源偶极子天线,根据矩量法准确性与收发天线间距无关这一特性的近场法,分析了近场法在实测中的误差缩减效应,然后据此验证了基准值的准确性(在30 MHz~1 GHz频段24个典型频率点的场地插入损耗偏差小于0.22 dB,相当于天线系数误差小于0.11 dB)。在30 MHz~1 GHz频段10 m距离条件下对NIM新建测试装置的评测结果为:在24个典型频点,水平极化时偏差小于0.26 dB,垂直极化时偏差小于0.34 dB;在频率间隔1 MHz的扫频范围内,垂直极化时偏差小于0.6 dB。     

Optimized element positions for prescribed radar cross section pattern of linear dipole arrays

Approximate closed‐form expression is derived for the scattering from dipole arrays based on the equivalent circuit theory. Then, a method is proposed for synthesis of dipole arrays to produce desired scattering pattern using genetic algorithm (GA). In the synthesis method, the element positions in an array are considered as the optimization parameter and the derived expression is used to evaluate the fitness function of GA. To assess the validity and efficiency of the proposed method, several linear dipole arrays are designed to obtain scattering pattern with low sidelobe level (SLL). A good agreement between the patterns calculated using the expression and simulated by FEKO validates the accuracy of the presented expression. In addition, the numerical results show that the maximum SLL of the scattering pattern is considerably reduced by optimization. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2011.     

Experimental investigation and comparison of super‐wideband antipodal slot antennas

Three novel, super‐wideband antipodal slot antennas with different tuning stubs are studied and compared with each other. Smooth, half‐circular slot profile is used to improve the antennas' polarization purity and impedance bandwidth, and different tuning stubs are used to finely tune the antennas' radiation performance. As will be reported, low crosspolarization level, stable dipole‐like pattern, and flat gain performances can be obtained within an operation bandwidth of 6.3:1 by introducing a smooth antipodal slot structure and a cup‐shape tuning patch. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2011.     

Design of a novel monopulse antenna system using the time‐modulated antenna arrays

A novel monopulse antenna for a tracking radar system is proposed using the time modulated antenna array technique. The time modulation technique applied in the antenna arrays overcomes the usual need for compromise between sum and difference beams and avoids the need for implementation of two separate feed networks. The time modulated antenna array also relaxes the error tolerance of the tracking accuracy from the amplitude and phase errors, due to the new design freedom of “time” which can be controlled precisely and quickly. Moreover, the position of the target can be recovered by two reflected echoes from one previously transmitted pulse, thus the tracking errors resulting from the excitation errors and receiver noise in conventional antenna arrays can be greatly alleviated. Numerical results show that with the aid of time modulation technique, one sum beam and two difference beams can be simultaneously obtained either for the boresight or off‐boresight target tracking. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2010.     

Efficient analysis of wireless communication antennas using an accurate [Z] matrix interpolation technique

An accurate impedance matrix interpolation technique based on the surface integral equation (SIE) is presented for the analysis of wireless communication antennas over wide frequency bands. The first‐order derivative of the impedance matrix at the internal frequency is considered in the cubic polynomial‐based interpolation scheme, thus the novel impedance matrix interpolation scheme will provide high accuracy and high efficiency over a frequency band. To demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method, numerical results for planar inverted F antennas (PIFA) and a wideband E‐shaped patch antenna are presented. Good agreement among the interpolation results, exact MoM solutions, finite element method (FEM) solutions, and measured data is observed over the bandwidth. Besides, dimensions of the feeding probe are also studied to investigate their effect on the input impedance and radiation patterns. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2010.     

Low-complexity joint transmit and receive antenna selection for MIMO systems

In this paper, we present a low-complexity algorithm for real-time joint transmit and receive antenna selection in MIMO systems. The computational complexity of exhaustive search in this problem grows exponentially with the number of transmit and receive antennas. We apply Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO) to the joint transmit and receive antenna selection problem. In addition, applying the general BPSO to joint antenna selection, we also present a specific improvement to this population-based heuristic algorithm, namely, we feed cyclically shifted initial population so that the average convergence time (the number of iterations until reaching an acceptable solution) is reduced. The proposed BPSO for joint antenna selection problem has a low computational complexity, and its effectiveness is verified through simulation results.