A Broadband Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Loop Antenna Array for 5G Cellular Communications
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Int. J. Electron. Commun. (AEÜ) 127 (2020) 153476 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Electronics and Communications journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aeue Regular paper A broadband multiple-input multiple-output loop antenna array for 5G cellular communications Naser Ojaroudi Parchin a,*, Haleh Jahanbakhsh Basherlou b, Yasir I.A. Al-Yasir a, Raed A. Abd-Alhameed a a Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK b Bradford College, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1AY, UK ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: In this study, we propose a multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array for fifth-generation (5G) 5G mobile-phone applications. Its configuration is composed of eight planar loop antenna elements located at Decoupling different edges of the mobile-phone mainboard with 75 × 150 × 0.8 mm3 FR-4 dielectric. In order to easily Future mobile phones integrate with phone circuits, the ground-plane and antenna resonators have been etched on the same side of the Loop radiator substrate. By addling modified arrow-shaped strips among the adjacent loop antennas, the operation bandwidth MIMO, phased array and isolation level of the closely spaced radiators have been improved. The presented MIMO antenna is designed to cover the spectrum of commercial sub 6 GHz 5G network with the bandwidth of 3.2–4 GHz. Due to the compact size and placements of the loop radiators, the presented MIMO antenna array occupies a small part of the board. In addition, the proposed array provides not only full radiation coverage covering different sides of the PCB but also the diversity function to support both vertical and horizontal polarization. The MIMO performance and radiation behavior of the proposed antenna design in the presence of the user-hand/user-head phantoms are also discussed. Moreover, a new and compact phased array millimeter-wave (MM-Wave) antenna with broad bandwidth and end-fire radiation is introduced to be easily integrated into the smartphone antenna system. 1. Introduction elements are receiving the same power which has been divided among all ports equally [9,10]. The use of MIMO antenna systems at the The development of fifth-generation(5G) technology has been an on- transmitter and the receiver sides needs careful consideration compared going process recently. It requires high data capacity and transmission to their single antenna counterparts. speed [1,2]. Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) is a promising In order to have an efficientMIMO antenna system for user’s devices, technology to enhance the performance of 5G networks [3,4]. Although many challenges have to be addressed [11–13]. Among them is to design MIMO technology adds to the complexity of antenna design in terms of uncorrelated MIMO antenna elements in a confined space. Meanwhile, the number of antennas, it provides high data rates and improved to ensure that the system has good MIMO performance, high isolation is spectral efficiency by exploiting multipath property without increasing required between antenna elements [14,15]. To maintain the indepen the input power [5–7]. MIMO technology is currently used in fourth- dence of each antenna element in the MIMO system within a limited generation (4G) wireless systems because they can provide higher space, it is one of the urgent difficulties to overcome mutual coupling data rates at the fixed power and bandwidth levels when compared to from the adjacent antenna elements [16,17]. Many techniques have their single-input–single-output (SISO) conventional counterparts. been used to increase the isolation of MIMO elements while maintaining MIMO technology requires that all antenna radiators work simulta a compact design [18–20]. The most common technique is to use the neously in which each antenna element of the system can work sepa spatial diversity technique by separating antenna elements. However, rately as transmitter and receiver [8]. In an ideal MIMO antenna system, this technique may not be suitable for most user devices, since it requires the branch power ratio between the lowest and highest power levels a relatively large space to place the antenna system. We present here a within the antenna system should be 1 (0 dB) indicating that all antenna new design method to enhance not only the isolation between these * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (N.O. Parchin). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeue.2020.153476 Received 29 January 2020; Accepted 18 September 2020 Available online 1 October 2020 1434-8411/© 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. N.O. Parchin et al. AEUE - International Journal of Electronics and Communications 127 (2020) 153476 Fig. 1. Configuration of the mobile-phone antenna array with conventional loop radiators. Fig. 2. Simulated (a) Snn and (b) Smn. closely spaced elements but also the bandwidth of the MIMO system for designs do not offer polarization and radiation diversity. future 5G handsets. Several 5G smartphone antennas are proposed The antenna elements of the proposed MIMO design are loop reso recently [21–37]. However, these antennas either provide narrow nators that have been fed by discrete ports extended from the ground bandwidth with low isolation or occupy a huge space of mainboard or plane to the radiators. The employed loop antennas are compact and use uniplanar antenna radiators. In addition, most of the reported easy to fabricate which could exhibit omnidirectional/quasi- Fig. 3. Radiation patterns at 3.6 GHz from (a) Ant. 1 and (b) Ant. 2. 2 N.O. Parchin et al. AEUE - International Journal of Electronics and Communications 127 (2020) 153476 Table 1 The values of the design parameters. Parameter W W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 Value (mm) 1.25 5 1 1.5 1.25 3 4 4 Parameter W8 L L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 X Value (mm) 10 2 13.5 1 10.3 3.2 2 1.5 Fig. 4. Efficiencies of the MIMO design without decoupling strips. omnidirectional radiation patterns and can be applied for different wireless systems [38,39]. In order to obtain a higher channel capacity, the polarization diversity function is applied in the proposed MIMO antenna design, so that all antenna elements can be allowed into the limited space of a smartphone, and good isolations have been obtained. The proposed MIMO system is mainly targeting at 3.6 GHz 5G candidate band and uses eight-elements placed at different sides of the board [40]. By adding arrow strips among the elements, the bandwidth and isolation of the proposed antenna system are improved. It provides more than 800 GHz bandwidth and sufficient mutual couplings less than 11 dB. Fig. 6. S11/S21 of adjacent elements with and without the modified decou pling strip. In addition to the proposed sub 6 GHz MIMO smartphone antenna, a new and compact phased array with broad bandwidth and end-fire ra diation is introduced for mm-wave 5G applications. Its configurationis 2. Loop antenna array composed of four loop dipole resonators with pairs of directors arranged in a linear form which can be easily integrated into the smartphone Fig. 1 shows the schematic of the proposed MIMO antenna system antenna system. This manuscript has been structured as below: The with eight loop antennas placed at four sides of the mainboard. The S schematic and performance of conventional loop array are presented in parameter results of the conventional loop design are depicted in Fig. 2. Section 2. The design and characteristics of the proposed MIMO antenna It is clearly shown that the loop elements provide 400 MHz impedance- ≤ systems with improved characteristics are represented in Section 3. bandwidth for S11 10 dB with the main resonance at 3.6 GHz (5G Section 4 provides and compares the measurements with simulation. candidate band). Moreover, the mutual coupling of the closely spaced Section 5 compares the fundamental characteristics of the proposed resonators of the antenna elements is less than 10 dB. MIMO antenna with the recently published MIMO antenna designs. 3D radiation patterns of the closely-spaced diversity loop elements Section 6 investigates the behavior of the designed array in the vicinity including Antennas 1 and 2 at the resonance frequency (3.6 GHz) are of the user. A new compact phased array antenna is proposed in Section depicted in Fig. 3. It is seen that the antenna elements exhibit quasi- 7 to be integrated into the smartphone board. Section 8 gives a omnidirectional radiations covering both portions of the mobile-phone – conclusion of this manuscript. mainboard [41 43]. The efficiency results of the MIMO antenna sys tem are illustrated in Fig. 4. Moreover, as seen, the mobile-phone Fig. 5. The proposed 8-element smartphone diversity antenna. 3 N.O. Parchin et al. AEUE - International Journal of Electronics and Communications 127 (2020) 153476 Fig. 7. Simulated current densities at (a) 3.3 GHz and (b) 3.7 GHz. Fig. 8. S11/S21 of the antenna for different parameter values of the arrow-strip (a) W8, (b) W6, and (c) x. 4 N.O. Parchin et al. AEUE - International Journal of Electronics and Communications 127 (2020) 153476 Fig. 9. Simulated (a) Snn and (b) Smn of the array S-parameters. provides sufficientefficiencies. As illustrated, the obtained radiation and total efficiencies are more than 80% and 40%, respectively. 3. Characteristics of the presented MIMO diversity antenna system with improved performance The finalstructure of the proposed MIMO diversity antenna design is given in Fig. 5. The array is printed on a single-sided FR4 substrate with an overall size of the printed MIMO antenna is 75 × 150 mm2. The large size of the ground plane could help to improve the isolation between elements and free up more space for other circuit components.