Fractal Antenna Engineering: The Theory And Design

Of Fractal Antenna Arrays

Abstract

Fractals are creations that live only in the minds of mathematicians. A true fractal
exhibits the property of self similarity even after infinite magnification. Fractals are
self similar, independent of scaling and possess no characteristic size. A coastline is
a classic example of a natural near fractal structure, the length of which increases
as the error in the measurement decreases. Unlike a straight line, the measured
length of a fractal curve depends on the precision or "size of ruler" used when
measuring it. A fractal is a recursively generated object having a fractional
dimension. Many objects, including antennas, can be designed using the recursive
nature of a fractal. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of recent
developments in the field of fractal antenna engineering, with particular emphasis
placed on the theory and design of fractal arrays. We will introduce some important
properties of fractal arrays, including the frequency-independent multi-band
characteristics, schemes for realizing low-sidelobe designs, systematic approaches
to thinning, and the ability to develop rapid beam-forming algorithms by exploiting
the recursive nature of fractals. These arrays have fractional dimensions that are
found from the generating subarray used to recursively create the fractal array. Our
research is in its infancy, but the results so far are intriguing, and may have future
practical applications. Fractal geometry is a superset of Euclidian geometry, so is
fractal (geometry based) antenna theory a superset of classic (Euclidian geometry)
antenna theory. A fractal is a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be
subdivided in parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of
the whole. Fractals are generally self-similar and independent of scale.

TEAM MEMBERS
PROJECT INCHARGE

1. Munish Kumar (0701152807)

Prof. S. B. Kumar
2. Gunish Sharma (1011152807)
3. Kumar Saurav (0741152807)
4. Ankit Kansal (0271152807)
 Antenna Selection For M.I.M.O. Systems

Abstract

MIMO (multiple-input – multiple-output) wireless systems are those that have

multiple antenna elements at both transmitter and receiver. They were first
investigated by computer simulations in the 1980s, and later papers explored them
analytically. Since that time, interest in MIMO systems has exploded. They are now
being used for third-generation cellular systems (W-CDMA), and are discussed for
future high-performance mode of the highly successful IEEE 802.11 standard for
wireless local area networks. MIMO-related topics also occupy a considerable part of
today’s academic communications research. The multiple antennas in MIMO
systems can be exploited in two different ways. One is the creation of a highly
effective antenna diversity system; the other is the use of the multiple antennas for
the transmission of several parallel data streams to increase the capacity of the
system. Antenna diversity is used in wireless systems to combat the effects of
fading. If multiple independent copies of the same signal are available, we can
combine them to a total signal with high quality - even if some of the copies exhibit
low quality. Antenna diversity at the receiver is well-known, and has been studied
for more than 50 years. The different signal copies are linearly combined, i.e.,
weighted and added. The resulting signal at the combiner output can then be
demodulated and decoded in the usual way. The optimum weights for this
combining are matched to the wireless channel (maximum ratio combining MRC). If
we have N receive antenna elements, the diversity order, which describes the
effectiveness of diversity in avoiding deep fades, is N; in other words, the diversity
order is related to the slope of the SNR distribution at the combiner output. The
multiple antennas also increase the average SNR seen at the combiner output. The
study of transmit diversity is much more recent, starting in the 1990s. When the
channel is known to the transmitter, we can again "match" the multiple transmitted
signal copies to the channel, resulting in the same gains as for receiver diversity. If
the channel is unknown at the transmitter, other strategies, like delay diversity or
space-time-coding, have to be used. Multiple-antenna systems, also known as
multiple-input multiple-output radio, can improve the capacity and reliability of
radio communication. However, the multiple RF chains associated with multiple
antennas are costly in terms of size, power, and hardware. Antenna selection is a
low-cost low-complexity alternative to capture many of the advantages of MIMO
systems.

TEAM MEMBERS
PROJECT INCHARGE

1. Munish Kumar (0701152807)

Prof. S. B. Kumar
2. Gunish Sharma (1011152807)
3. Kumar Saurav (0741152807)
4. Ankit Kansal (0271152807)