Software-Defined Radio Beamforming System for 5G/Radar Applications

Based on the flexibility of software-defined radio (SDR) techniques applied to an array of antennas, this article presents a beamforming architecture designed to operate in millimeter-wave bands (28 GHz), with possible applications in radar and 5G systems. The system structure, including its main constituents such as the radio frequency (RF) frontend modules, the radiating elements as well as the baseband processing on the host computer are widely described. Beamforming is achieved by digitally controlling the signals that feed the antennas. The experimental measurements performed in an anechoic chamber validate the proposed approach.