Assessment of the performance of the TOPGNSS and ANN-MB antennas for ionospheric measurements using low-cost u-blox GNSS receivers

Low-cost GNSS receivers have recently been gaining reliability as good candidates for ionospheric studies. In line with these gains are genuine concerns about improving the performance of these receivers. In this work, we present a comprehensive investigation of the performances of two antennas(the u-blox ANN-MB and the TOPGNSS TOP-106) used on a low-cost GNSS receiver known as the u-blox ZED-F9P. The two antennas were installed on two identical and co-located u-blox receivers. Data used from both receivers cover the period from January to June 2022. Results from the study indicate that the signal strengths are dominantly greater for the receiver with the TOPGNSS antenna than for the receiver with the ANN-MB antenna, implying that the TOPGNSS antenna is better than the ANN-MB antenna in terms of providing greater signal strengths. Summarily, the TOPGNSS antenna also performed better in minimizing the occurrence of cycle slips on phase TEC measurements. There are no conspicuous differences between the variances(computed as 5-min standard deviations) of phase TEC measurements for the two antennas, except for a period around May-June when the TOPGNSS gave a better performance in terms of minimizing the variances in phase TEC. Remarkably, the ANN-MB antenna gave a better performance than the TOPGNSS antenna in terms of minimizing the variances in pseudorange TEC for some satellite observations. For precise horizontal(North and East) positioning, the receiver with the TOPGNSS antenna gave better results, while the receiver with the ANN-MB antenna gave better vertical(Up) positioning. The errors for the receivers of both antennas are typically within about 5 m(the monthly mean was usually smaller than 1 m) in the horizontal direction and within about 10 m(the monthly mean was usually smaller than 4 m) in the vertical direction.

Spatial Coded Modulation:Coding over Antennas

In spatial modulation systems,the reliability of the active antenna detection is of vital importance since the modulated symbols tend to be correctly demodulated when the active antennas are accurately identified.In this paper,we propose a spatial coded modulation(SCM)scheme,which improves the accuracy of the active antenna detection by coding over the transmit antennas.Specifically,the antenna activation pattern in the SCM corresponds to a codeword in a properly designed codebook with a larger minimum Hamming distance than the conventional spatial modulation.As the minimum Hamming distance increases,the reliability of the active antenna detection is directly enhanced,which yields a better system reliability.In addition to the reliability,the proposed SCM scheme also achieves a higher capacity with the identical antenna configuration compared to the conventional counterpart.The optimal maximum likelihood detector is first formulated.Then,a low-complexity suboptimal detector is proposed to reduce the computational complexity.Theoretical derivations of the channel capacity and the bit error rate are presented in various channel scenarios.Further derivation on performance bounding is also provided to reveal the insight of the benefit of increasing the minimum Hamming distance.Numerical results validate the analysis and demonstrate that the proposed SCM outperforms the conventional spatial modulation techniques in both channel capacity and system reliability.

Array (Smart) Antennas Improve GSM Performance

As wireless data applications over cellular networks become more widespread, the pressure to increase capacity will become even more intense. Capacity in the 800 and 900 MHz bands, where bandwidth is restricted, is already becoming a limiting factor. This paper attempts to address how the application of smart antenna systems has brought about improvements in call quality and increased capacity through reduced Interference in Mobile Communication. The smart antenna may be in a variety of ways to improve the performance of a communications system. Perhaps most importantly is its capability to cancel co-channel interference. It helps in improving the system performance by increasing the channel capacity, spectrum efficiency, extending range coverage, speech quality, enabling tighter reuse of frequencies within a cellular network and economically, feasible increased signal gain, greater, reduced multipath reflection. It has been argued that Smart antennas and the Algorithms to control them are vital to a high-capacity communication system development.

Kinematic-mapping-model-guided analysis and optimization of 2-PSS&1-RR circular-rail parallel mechanism for fully steerable phased array antennas

This paper presents a systematic methodology for analyzing and optimizing an innovative antenna mount designed for phased array antennas, implemented through a novel 2-PSS&1-RR circular-rail parallel mechanism. Initially, a comparative motion analysis between the 3D model of the mount and its full-scale prototype is conducted to validate effectiveness. Given the inherent complexity, a kinematic mapping model is established between the mount and the crank-slider linkage, providing a guiding framework for subsequent analysis and optimization. Guided by this model, feasible inverse and forward solutions are derived, enabling precise identification of stiffness singularities. The concept of singularity distance is thus introduced to reflect the structural stiffness of the mount. Subsequently, also guided by the mapping model, a heuristic algorithm incorporating two backtracking procedures is developed to reduce the mount's mass. Additionally, a parametric finite-element model is employed to explore the relation between singularity distance and structural stiffness. The results indicate a significant reduction(about 16%) in the antenna mount's mass through the developed algorithm, while highlighting the singularity distance as an effective stiffness indicator for this type of antenna mount.

Analysis and Design of Broadband Stacked Microstrip Patch Antennas

A broadband microstrip patch antenna was analyzed and designed.Full wave analysis method(FWAM) was employed to show that a stacked microstrip dual patch antenna(SMDPA) might have a much wider bandwidth than that of the ordinanry uni patch one.By means of discrete complex image theory(DCIT),the Sommerfeld integrals (SI) involved were accurately calculated at a speed several hundred times faster than numerical integration method(NIM).The feeding structure of the SMDPA was then improved and the bandwidth was extended to about 22% or more for voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR)s≤2 Finally,a matching network was constructed to obtain a bandwidth of about 25% for s≤1.5.

The FDTD Full Wave Analysis of Fractal Antennas

The full wave FDTD method was used to analyze the Hilbert and H fractal curves antennas. The computational results of the input impedance of Hilbert fractal antenna are in good agreement with the experiments in the documents. The results also show that the self-similarity of the fractal structure leads to the multiplicity of resonances over some predetermined operating bandwidths of the antenna. Fractal geometries of Hilbert and H curves can be implemented to miniaturize the antenna, too. The results also show that the higher order fractal antenna leads to the more efficient reduction of the antenna size than the lower order one. Furthermore, the far field patterns remain almost the same as those of the dipole at their own resonant frequencies.

Kinetic Fluorescence Spectral Analysis of Core Antennas CP43 and CP47 of Photosystem Ⅱ with Ultrafast Time-resolved Technology

Ultrafast time_resolved fluorescence experiments have been performed with core antennas CP43 and CP47 of PS Ⅱ. Their dynamic fluorescence spectra were obtained with excitation wavelength 514.5 nm. For CP43, the emission spectrum was found to be from 640 to 780 nm with a peak at ～680 nm and the lifetime of fluorescence was 3.54 ns. For CP47, the emission spectrum was from 630 to 775 nm with a peak at ～691 nm and the fluorescence lifetime was 3.22 ns. The fluorescence emission efficiencies of Chl a in CP43 and CP47 were calculated to be approximately 38.3% and 40.6%, respectively. The energy transfer from β_Car to Chl a in CP43 and CP47 was discussed. The rates of energy transfer from β_Car to Chl a were measured to be about 9.6×10 11 s -1 and 1.3×10 12 s -1 and energy transfer efficiencies 47.5% and 66.5% respectively. The edge_edge distances between β_Car and Chl a in CP43 and CP47 were estimated to be ～0.110 nm and ～0.085 nm respectively.

Analysis of electrical performances of planar active phased array antennas with distorted array plane

The influence of the distorted plane of the active phased array antenna on the electromagnetic performance is of great significance to the research on and development of the high-performance antennas. On the bent and bowl-shape distortion, the model is established of the relationship between the electromagnetic performance and the position error of the radiated elements. The method is presented of analyzing the far-field pattern of the distorted rectangular active phased array antenna. The analysis results of a planar phased array antenna with different distortions grades prove the validity of the model. Therefore, by the method, the antenna designers may set the reasonable requirement on the structural tolerance in manufacturing antenna.

Progress in ultra-wideband planar antennas

This paper introduces the advances of ultra-wideband （UWB） and super-wideband （SWB） planar antennas based on the printed monopole, microstrip slot and other planar antenna designs in the last decade. A brief history of the ultrawideband antennas is first provided. Several types of planar antennas for UWB systems with band-notched designs are reviewed. Special SWB planar antenna designs with the bandwidth ratio greater than 10：1 including metal-plate and printed monopole antennas and tapered slot antennas are presented and compared.

Two-step Structural Design of Mesh Antennas for High Beam Pointing Accuracy

A well-designed reflector surface with high beam pointing accuracy in electromagnetic performance is of practical significance to the space application of cable mesh reflector antennas. As for space requirements, cir- cular polarizations are widely used in spaceborne antennas, which usually lead to a beam shift for offset reflectors and influence the beam pointing accuracy. A two-step structural design procedure is proposed to overcome the beam squint phenomenon for high beam pointing accuracy design of circularly polarized offset cable mesh reflectors. A simple structural optimal design and an integrated structural electromagnetic optimization are combined to alleviate the beam squint effect of circular polarizations. It is imple- mented by cable pretension design and adjustment to shape the offset cable mesh surface. Besides, in order to increase the efficiency of integrated optimization, an update Broy- den-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno （BFGS） Hessian matrix is employed in the optimization iteration with sequential quadratic programming. A circularly polarized offset cable mesh reflector is utilized to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed procedure. A high beam pointing accuracy in order of 0.0001~ of electromagnetic performance is achieved.

Ultra-wideband printed antennas for communication applications

A new type of ultra-wideband （UWB） printed monopole antennas is presented, which is composed of a circular or armular patch and a trapeziform ground plane with a tapered CPW feeder in the middle. Both simulated and experimental results are presented, showing good agreement and therefore verifying validity of the design. The proposed antenna with a circular monopole patch achieves an 11.6： 1 measured ratio bandwidth of VSWR ≤2 （ from 0,79 GHz to 9.16 GHz）, while that with an annular patch obtains a measured ratio impedance bandwidth of 10.6：1 （from 0.87 GHz to 9.47 GHz）. In addition, these designs exhibit nearly omnidirectional radiation patterns with simple compact structures, which axe attractive in communications and others UWB applications.

Metamaterials and metasurfaces for designing metadevices:Perfect absorbers and microstrip patch antennas

In the past twenty years, electromagnetic metamaterials represented by left-handed metamaterials（LHMs） have attracted considerable attention due to the unique properties such as negative refraction, perfect lens, and electromagnetic cloaks. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of our group＇s work on metamaterials and metasurfaces. We present several types of LHMs and chiral metamaterials. As a two-dimensional equivalent of bulk three-dimensional metamaterials, metasurfaces have led to a myriad of devices due to the advantages of lower profile, lower losses, and simpler to fabricate than bulk three-dimensional metamaterials. We demonstrate the novel microwave metadevices based on metamaterials and metasurfaces： perfect absorbers and microwave patch antennas, including novel transmission line antennas,high gain resonant cavity antennas, wide scanning phased array antennas, and circularly polarized antennas.

Doppler frequency offset estimation and diversity reception scheme of high-speed railway with multiple antennas on separated carriage

The challenges of severe Doppler effects in high-speed railway are considered. By building a cooperative antenna system; an algorithm of joint channel estimation and Doppler frequency offset （DFO） estimation is proposed based on Ricean channel model. First, a maximum likelihood estimation （MLE） algorithm for DFO is designed, show- ing that the Doppler estimation can be obtained by estimating moving velocity of the train and the path loss with the exploitation of pilots that are placed inside the frame. Then a joint detection algorithm for the receiver is proposed to exploit multi-antenna diversity gains. Last, the theoretical Crammer Rao bound （CRB） for joint channel estimation and DFO estimation is derived. The steady performance of the system is confirmed by numerical simulations. In particular, when the Ricean fading channel parameter equals 5 and the velocities of train are 100 m/s and 150 m/s, the estimation variances of DFO are very close to the theoretical results obtained by using CRB. Meanwhile, the corresponding sig- nal to noise ratio loss is less than 1.5 dB when the bit error rate is 10-5 for 16QAM signals.

GA-based approach to phase compensation of large phased array antennas

The investigation of the effect of electrical and mechanical errors on the performance of a large active phased array antenna is studied. These errors can decrease the antenna performance, for instance, the gain reduction, side lobe level enhancement, and incorrect beam direction. In order to improve the performance of the antenna in the presence of these errors, phase error correction of large phased array antennas using the genetic algorithm（GA） is implemented. By using the phase compensation method, the antenna overall radiation pattern is recovered close to the ideal radiation pattern without error. By applying the simulation data to a 32×40 array of elements with a square grid at the frequency of S-band and measurement of the radiation pattern, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified.

Low spatial correlation at base station uniform linear antennas

A spatial channel propagation model is presented. Consider a uniform linear antenna （ULA） at the base station （BS） and narrowband signals transmitted at the mobile. In two types of propagating environments： indoor and outdoor, performance of low spatial correlation is investigated and some results are provided, which are significant to an,3. lyze the performance of diversity systems and configuration of army. The results also show that the configuration of array with either smaller angular spread or bigger angle of arrival （AOA） dominates the impact on spatial correlation, and that increasing angular spread or decreasing AOA diminishes, or even eliminates this impact.

A NEW MOMENT METHOD FOR THE FAST AND ACCURATE ANALYSIS OF NORMAL MODE HELICAL ANTENNAS

In this letter, a new moment method using helical segments is presented to model Normal Mode Helical Antenna (NMHA). Using this method, the NMHA can be modeled by a few segments. The current distributions and radiation patterns of some NMHAs are calculated.A comparison is made between results obtained using this helical segment algorithm and a linear segment algorithm, and the results of the two algorithms agree fairly well. When calculating the impedance matrix [Z], all the elements of the matrix can be obtained by only calculating a few elements with the application of the symmetric and periodic characteristics of the NMHA.Therefore, the CPU time and the memory storage are significantly reduced, with the accuracy and speed enhanced.

Broadband printed antennas and dual-polarized microstrip and waveguide slot antenna arrays

In order to meet the urgent needs in wireless communications, microwave image synthetic aperture radars （SAR）, and electronic warfare systems, this dissertation studies several types of broadband dual-polarized planar antenna elements and arrays, and proposes a few of novel designs with experimental verification. The main accomplishments reported in the dissertation are as follows.

Single Source Self-Screen Jamming Elimination and Target Detection for Distributed Dual Antennas Radar System

Detecting target echo in the existence of self-screen jamming is a challenging work for radar system, especially when digital radio frequency memory(DRFM) technique is employed that mixes the jamming and target echo both in spatial and time-frequency domain. The conventional way to solve this problem would suffer from performance degradation when physical target(PT) and false target(FT) are superposed in time. In this paper, we propose a new spatial filter according to the different correlation characteristic between PT and FT. The filter takes the ratio of expected signal power to expected jamming and noise power as the objective function under the constant filter modulus constraint. The optimal filter coefficients are derived with a generalized rayleigh quotient approach. Moreover, we analytically compute the target detection probability and demonstrate the applicability of the proposed method to the correlation coefficient. Monte Carlo simulations are provided to corroborate the proposed studies. Furthermore, the proposed method has simple architecture and low computation complexity, making it easily applied in modern radar system.

An adjustment method for active reflector of large high-frequency antennas considering gain and boresight

The design of the Qitai 110 m Radio Telescope（QTT） with large aperture and very high working frequency（115 GHz） was investigated in Xinjiang, China. The results lead to a main reflector with high surface precision and high pointing precision. In this paper, the properties of active surface adjustment in a deformed parabolic reflector antenna are analyzed. To assure the performance of large reflector antennas such as gain and boresight, which can be obtained by utilizing an electromechanical coupling model, and satisfy them simultaneously, research on active surface adjustment applied to a new parabolic reflector as target surface has been done. Based on the initial position of actuators and the relationship between adjustment points and target points, a novel mathematical model and a program thatdirectly calculates the movements of actuators have been developed for guiding the active surface adjustment of large reflector antennas. This adjustment method is applied to an 8 m reflector antenna,in which we only consider gravity deformation. The results show that this method is more efficient in adjusting the surface and improving the working performance.

A novel DOA estimation algorithm using directional antennas in cylindrical conformal arrays

In this paper, a novel direction of arrival(DOA) estimation algorithm using directional antennas in cylindrical conformal arrays(CCAs) is proposed. To eliminate the shadow effect, we divide the CCAs into several subarrays to obtain the complete output vector. Considering the anisotropic radiation pattern of a CCA, which cannot be separated from the manifold matrix, an improved interpolation method is investigated to transform the directional subarray into omnidirectional virtual nested arrays without non-orthogonal perturbation on the noise vector. Then, the cross-correlation matrix(CCM) of the subarrays is used to generate the consecutive co-arrays without redundant elements and eliminate the noise vector. Finally, the full-rank equivalent covariance matrix is constructed using the output of co-arrays,and the unitary estimation of the signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques(ESPRIT) is performed on the equivalent covariance matrix to estimate the DOAs with low computational complexity. Numerical simulations verify the superior performance of the proposed algorithm, especially under a low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) environment.