Antenna Integration for Millimeter-Wave RF Sensing and Millimeter-Wave Communication Mountable on a Platform

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Electromagnetics
• Wireless Communication

Background:

• Millimeter-wave (mmWave) signals suffer from rapid attenuation with distance, necessitating precise antenna pointing for reliable wireless communication.
• Existing 5G terminals often use less directive antennas, leading to signal degradation and increased pointing errors, especially in the presence of reflective surfaces.
• Minimizing functional errors and pointing errors is crucial for robust mmWave systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and integrate an array antenna for both millimeter-wave communication and sensing into a single planar structure.
• To enhance the directivity and signal strength for improved wireless link stability over several meters.
• To investigate the dual-capability of the integrated antenna in mitigating pointing errors caused by signal reflections.

Main Methods:

• Design and integration of an 8-by-16 array antenna operating at 24 GHz for sensing, combined with a communication antenna.
• Investigation of the planar structure's performance in establishing wireless links over several meters with low input power (< 0 dBm).
• Electromagnetic experiments to evaluate the antenna's dual-functionality and its effectiveness against pointing errors induced by reflective surfaces.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of sensing and communication array antennas into a single planar structure.
• Demonstration of stable wireless links over several meters using less than 0 dBm input power.
• Validation of the integrated antenna's capability to reduce pointing errors in the presence of signal reflections.

Conclusions:

• The integrated millimeter-wave sensing and communication antenna offers a robust solution for stable wireless links.
• The high-directivity sensing antenna (24 GHz, 8x16 array) overcomes limitations of lower-directivity antennas used in some 5G terminals.
• This dual-capability planar antenna structure is suitable for platforms requiring reliable mmWave sensing and communication, even in challenging environments with multipath propagation.