Dome-Shaped mmWave Lens Antenna Optimization for Wide-Angle Scanning and Scan Loss Mitigation Using Geometric Optics and Multiple Scattering

Abstract

This paper presents a new accurate and efficient design methodology for complex integrated lens antenna (ILA), to achieve wide-angle beam coverage with scan loss mitigation at the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum. The proposed ILA comprises inhomogeneous curvatures with internal and external center off-sets, in which multiple parameters instigate high order and non-linear behaviors. A two-dimensional (2-D) ray-tracing model is used to estimate the refractions on the elliptically curved boundaries based on geometrical optics. This approach is integrated into the particle swarm optimization of the 2-D raytracing model to determine the near-optimum geometric configuration of the ILA. Denoted as Geometric Optics-based Multiple Scattering (GOMS), the computational memory usage is reduced by a factor of 10,000 using this approach. The devised ILA achieves a wide-angle beam coverage of 156 ° with a scan loss of 2.10 dB alongside a broad impedance bandwidth of 35.0 GHz to 42.0 GHz. The measurement results for the performance of the fabricated prototype of the ILA validate the wide-angle scanning with scan loss mitigation inferred from the simulation results. This confirms the effectiveness of this method for complex design challenges involving multi-variants and restricted computational resources.

Lenses Combined with Array Antennas for the Next Generation of Terrestrial and Satellite Communication Systems

“…One of the main challenges that were found during that proof of concept is the required simulation tool for designing and optimizing the lens shapes in an time-efficient way, in order to adapt the dome antennas to different scenarios. Full-wave simulations of dome antennas are computationally too heavy, thereby ray-tracing techniques (as similarly done in [7] for dome antenna design and optimization) are greatly needed keeping in mind that the lens geometry needs to constantly match the customer´s requirements. Apart of the use-case reconfigurability feature that was demonstrated in [6], considering sustainability and environmental aspects, it is of great interest for network vendors to develop more energyefficient antenna products.…”

2-D Ray-Tracing Model for Multilayer Dielectric Dome Arrays With Inner Reflections

“…Phased array antennas (PAA) constitute an interesting antenna solution for 5G/6G terrestrial communications [3]- [5] and satellite systems [6] due to their simplicity of design and beam steering capability, which can be achieved without physically moving the antenna. However, the performance of electronically scanned PAA is compromised when steering toward extreme angles due to a reduction in the projected antenna aperture size in the scanning direction, resulting in increased scanning losses [7], [8]. Antennas capable of achieving wide beam scanning without performance degradation are highly desirable for some applications, such as radars systems [9], aircraft-satellite communications systems [10], [11], and modern wireless communication systems [12], [13].…”

6G energy‐efficient systems based on arrays combined with dielectric lenses

“…Previous studies focused solely on optimizing the geometrical shape of the lens to enhance the gain of the array antenna within specific angle ranges [20,21,23,24]. Consequently, a degradation in gain outside of those ranges is expected.…”