Simple Patch Antenna with Filtering Function Using Two U-Slots

In this study, two U-slots of different sizes are used to combine the filtering function with a patch antenna. The U-shaped slots are etched into the patch, and currents in the opposite direction exist around these slots. Therefore, the currents cancel each other out, and a radiation null is formed. As a result, two radiation nulls are implemented on the left and right sides of the passband. To demonstrate the novelty of the proposed concept, a filtering patch antenna with a center frequency of 3.21 GHz and a 10 dB impedance bandwidth of 19.9% is designed and fabricated. High suppression levels of 25.33 and 19.32 dB in the lower and higher stopbands, respectively, are achieved. Therefore, a sharp band skirt and good selectivity are exhibited in the boresight gain response. The two radiation nulls are located at 2.4 and 3.7 GHz and can be independently adjusted.

Ka-Band Rotman Lens-Based Retrodirective Beamforming System for Wireless Power Transfer

A retrodirective beamforming system (BFS) based on a Rotman lens is proposed for far-field wireless power transfer at Ka-band. The true-time-delay property of the Rotman lens allows for a wideband operation covering 28–38 GHz. The designed BFS comprises a Rotman lens with nine beam ports connected to a nine-element linear Vivaldi array. The proposed BFS is implemented using PCB technology for ease of manufacturing and low-cost processing. The simulated and measured results demonstrate that the proposed BFS can generate nine discrete beams over a scan range of ±45° with a wide impedance bandwidth.

Low-Complexity 2D-MUSIC for Joint Range and Angle Estimation of Frequency Modulated Continuous-Wave Radar

A pre-processing technique is proposed to reduce the complexity of two-dimensional multiple signal classification (2D-MUSIC) for the joint range and angle estimation of frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radar systems. By using the central symmetry of the angle steering vector from a uniform linear array (ULA) antenna and the linearity of the beat signal in the FMCW radar, this preprocessing technique transforms 2D-MUSIC from complex values into real values. To compare the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm with the conventional 2D-MUSIC, we measured the CPU processing time for various numbers of snapshots, and the evaluation results indicated that the 2D-MUSIC with the proposed pre-processing technique is approximately three times faster than the conventional 2D-MUSIC.

A Novel Automatic Algorithm for Estimating the Jet Engine Blade Number of Insufficient JEM Signals

One of the major issues in multifunction radars is time resource allocation to maximize the radar’s ability. If jet engine modulation (JEM) is more efficiently performed in an insufficient dwell-time environment, the remaining time can be allocated for other tasks. This study presents a novel automatic algorithm for estimating the jet engine blade number of insufficient JEM signals. We employed a harmonic selection rule and a modified empirical mode decomposition (EMD) with an adaptive low-pass filtering. For a refined autocorrelation waveform, the analysis focuses on a desirable combination of intrinsic mode functions derived from the modified EMD. The approach is significant because it enables reliable estimation despite the insufficient JEM signal. Also, the proposed algorithm is innovative because it uses only the time-domain method, not the frequency-domain method. The application is expected to enhance the efficiency of radar resource management.

Design of Thin and Wideband Microwave Absorbers Using General Closed-Form Solutions

A new design method for RLC reactive absorbers is presented. This method is based on closed-form solutions to help realize the widest absorption bandwidth for an arbitrarily specified thickness. The solutions for the RLC values of the reactive screen are derived using an equivalent circuit in which the thickness of the substrate used, the permittivity and tangential loss of the substrate, and the frequency are all considered. A perfect match and maximum bandwidth at a design frequency can be achieved with the proposed method. Various aspects of the absorber characteristics, depending on the thickness and loss of the substrate, are analyzed using the presented solutions and electromagnetic (EM) simulations. To validate the proposed design method, an X-band microwave absorber with a crossed-dipole structure patterned on a silver nanowire resistive film is designed, fabricated, and measured. The substrate electrical thickness of the absorber is 70° at 10 GHz, with a permittivity of 2.2. The 90% absorption bandwidth is 8 GHz in the frequency range of 8.2–16.2 GHz. The measured absorption agrees well with the results obtained using circuit and EM simulations.

Performance Analysis of IRS-Aided NOMA Communications in the Presence of Imperfect SIC

The intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is expected to be a promising technique to achieve a robust spectrum and energy efficiency. This paper investigates the advantages of IRS in enhancing performance of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) communications in the presence of imperfect successive-interference-cancellation (SIC) and phase distortion (PD) caused by a non-ideal IRS. Specifically, average achievable rates (AARs) of the users are the target performance metrics. For performance evaluation, the probabilistic characterizations of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratios (SINRs) at the users are studied. These results allow for deriving the theoretical formulas for the AAR. Monte Carlo simulations are adopted to verify the accuracy of these theoretical results. The numerical results show the effects of various key system parameters, such as source transmit power, NOMA power allocation (PA) factors, reflecting tile (RTs) allocation, the SIC imperfection factor, and the PD factor, on the AAR that provide useful information for the system’s design.

Efficient Algorithm to Calculate a Time-Domain Echo Signal from Moving Targets Based on Physical Optics and the Application to an Autonomous Driving Simulation

An automotive radar simulator is proposed that can consider a dynamic driving scenario. The impulse response is computed based on the distance between the radar and the mesh position and the radar equation. The first-order physical optics technique is used to calculate the backscattering by the meshes, which can efficiently consider the shape of the target; however, because the radar operating frequency is very high, the required amount of mesh for discretization is large. Hence, the calculation of the time-domain echo signal requires considerable computational time. To reduce this numerical complexity, a new scheme is proposed to accurately approximate the time-domain baseband signal generated by the large number of meshes. The radar adopts the frequency modulated continuous waveform. Range-Doppler processing is used to estimate the range and relative velocity of the targets based on which simulation results are numerically verified for a driving scenario.

Quadruple Band-Notched Compact Monopole UWB Antenna for Wireless Applications

A printed quadruple band-notched ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna characteristic is presented. The designed UWB antenna has a size of 32 mm × 30 mm × 1.6 mm and covers an impedance bandwidth off 2.9–14.5 GHz for the entire frequency band. The entire frequency band maintains voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) <2, except at WiMAX (3.1–3.6 GHz), WLAN (4.92–6.12 GHz), downlink of X-band for satellite communication systems (7.5–8.4 GHz), and X-band (10.2–11 GHz). By inserting a pair of L-shaped slots into the radiating element, a H-shaped resonator and rectangular split-ring resonators are closely arranged to the microstrip feed-line, alongside the measured impedance bandwidth of 129%. The fabricated antenna radiation pattern and return loss is presented.

Uncertainty of S-Parameter Measurements on PCBs due to Imperfections in the TRL Line Standard

This paper evaluates the uncertainty of S-parameter measurements on multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs) due to the uncertainties of the dimensions and dielectric properties of the line standard in the Thru-Reflect-Line (TRL) calibration. This evaluation is performed in two ways: one is based on repeated TRL calibrations with a randomly perturbed line standard, and the other is based on equations given by Stumper. The two methods require the uncertainties of the S-parameters of the TRL line standard, which are obtained from the uncertainties of the dimensions and dielectric properties using three-dimensional electromagnetic Monte Carlo simulation. The two methods agree well with each other. This study also shows how to apply impedance renormalization in Stumper’s equations. We design the TRL standards and the devices under test (DUTs) in PCB stripline and precisely measure the cross-sectional dimensions of the fabricated striplines. Uncertainty analysis based on the measured values enables us to investigate the impact of realistic deviations in the dimensions of the TRL line standard on the S-parameter measurement uncertainty of the DUTs. Finally, as an example, we evaluated the uncertainty in the measured S-parameters of a Beatty line on the fabricated PCB.

Time-Domain Pulse Waveform Correction for Pulsed Electric Field Measurement in Microwave Cable with Frequency-Dependent Loss

This paper presents a method that corrects pulse waveforms distorted by the frequency-dependent loss of microwave cables in measuring pulsed electric fields (PEFs). Because the distortion resulting from the microwave cable disrupts accurate PEF measurements, the distorted pulse should be corrected for precise PEF effect testing. The proposed correction method is achieved by a transfer function that is determined by ABCD parameters calculated from the scattering parameters of the cable. A 10-m microwave cable is tested to validate the proposed method, where the input pulse is a 2-ns sine pulse of a single cycle. Here, the output pulse, scattering parameters, and cable resistance are measured. These measurement results are used to represent the transfer function in MATLAB for the proposed correction method. The test results show that the corrected pulse obtained from the transfer function has an error of 4.5% in the peak-to-peak voltage and an error of 0.8% in the bipolar pulse width compared to the reference input pulse. The errors of PEF measurement decrease dramatically by using the proposed correction method. Moreover, the correction method is validated for various pulse durations, pulse shapes, and cable types.