Presentation Title
Beamforming with a 2.4 GHz Tripolar IoT Antenna
Abstract
The increased use of internet of things (IoT) devices results in them being deployed in a wide variety of environments. This warrants antenna systems that can be configured to improve link performance. Prior work has shown that the diversity gains provided by a compact tripolar design can mitigate multipath effects by switching between the antenna's three elements. This work considers the benefits for benign environments in which we combine the elements for the purposes of beamforming using simple phase shifts. We show through modeling, our twelve-sector beamsteering yields a minimum directivity of 4.4 dB when steering the beam in azimuth, a 3.11 dB improvement over a single, omnidirectional monopole. In elevation, beamsteering yielded a ~ 3 dB improvement in directivity up to 45 degrees from horizontal. These increases in directivity can be leveraged for longer wireless communication links, greater link reliability, and/or lower transmission power and lower energy use.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Jeff Frolik
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Jeff Frolik (Advisor)
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Electrical Engineering
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Beamforming with a 2.4 GHz Tripolar IoT Antenna
The increased use of internet of things (IoT) devices results in them being deployed in a wide variety of environments. This warrants antenna systems that can be configured to improve link performance. Prior work has shown that the diversity gains provided by a compact tripolar design can mitigate multipath effects by switching between the antenna's three elements. This work considers the benefits for benign environments in which we combine the elements for the purposes of beamforming using simple phase shifts. We show through modeling, our twelve-sector beamsteering yields a minimum directivity of 4.4 dB when steering the beam in azimuth, a 3.11 dB improvement over a single, omnidirectional monopole. In elevation, beamsteering yielded a ~ 3 dB improvement in directivity up to 45 degrees from horizontal. These increases in directivity can be leveraged for longer wireless communication links, greater link reliability, and/or lower transmission power and lower energy use.