Active Integrated Antenna for Intelligent Arrays in 6G Non-Terrestrial Networks

用于 6G 非地面网络智能阵列的有源集成天线

• 批准号: EP/Y003144/2
• 负责人: Lei Wang
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FY003144%2F2
• 关键词: Active; Integrated; Antenna; Intelligent; Arrays

This ECR international collaboration grant is aiming to build an international network and research hub together with the pioneering research on active integrated antennas for intelligent arrays in the emerging 6G non-terrestrial networks, to realize and boost the new telecommunication era of the internet of everything and the connection of everywhere. Regarding the B5G (5G-beyond) and 6G, there are still quite a number of challenges waiting to be solved. One of the most important issues is the power efficiency of the millimeter-wave (mmW) systems, so as to the mmW active antenna systems. According to the telecommunications company Ericsson's predictions, the market for the service providers in the 5G area will grow to around USD 700 billion by 2030. Thus there will be a huge market and demand of mmW active antenna systems especially for the massive MIMO systems, which requires at least 64 antenna elements (an 8 by 8 array). However, the current power amplifiers on market only offer a power-added efficiency around 22%, leading to significant energy into waste like the heat, which will destroy and reduce the operation life of the devices too. Hence, this project is dedicated to improve the power efficiency of the mmW array antennas by proposing a novel substrate integrated active array antennas, which is of great advantages in terms of manufacturing, cost and scalability. An additional technique of the active antenna in substrate packaging (AAiSP) will be explored to increase the application flexibility for the 6G service providers. Moreover, align with the EPSRC strategy plan 2022-2025 on the priority mission of AI, a machine leaning based precoding technology will be developed to optimize the mmW non-linear array antennas. This project integrates two ongoing Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions projects ANTERRA and HARMONY, both are dedicated to exploring the directly matched power amplified antennas and arrays. The PI also actively interacts with the EurAAP working group of Active Array Antennas. The collaboration project enables the PI actively working with and centered by experienced academics and engineers from the USA, France and Netherlands, leading the PI, his institute and the UK to be the world-class people, organization and place with world-class innovation, so as to be a world leader, which is also the vision of the latest EPSRC strategy plan.

此次ECR国际合作资助旨在打造一个国际网络和研究中心，共同开展新兴6G非地面网络智能阵列有源集成天线的开创性研究，实现和推动万物互联的新电信时代无处不在的连接。对于B5G（5G-Beyond）和6G来说，还有相当多的挑战等待解决。最重要的问题之一是毫米波（mmW）系统的功率效率，对于毫米波有源天线系统也是如此。根据电信公司爱立信的预测，到2030年，5G领域服务提供商的市场将增长到7000亿美元左右。因此，毫米波有源天线系统尤其是大规模MIMO系统将有巨大的市场和需求。需要至少 64 个天线元件（8 x 8 阵列）。然而，目前市场上的功率放大器只能提供22%左右的功率附加效率，导致大量的能量变成热量等浪费，这也会破坏和缩短器件的使用寿命。 因此，该项目致力于通过提出一种新型基板集成有源阵列天线来提高毫米波阵列天线的功率效率，该天线在制造、成本和可扩展性方面具有巨大优势。将探索基板封装有源天线 (AAiSP) 的附加技术，以提高 6G 服务提供商的应用灵活性。此外，根据 EPSRC 2022-2025 年战略计划中人工智能的优先任务，将开发基于机器学习的预编码技术来优化毫米波非线性阵列天线。 该项目整合了两个正在进行的 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions 项目 ANTERRA 和 HARMONY，这两个项目都致力于探索直接匹配的功率放大天线和阵列。 PI 还积极与 EurAAP 有源阵列天线工作组进行互动。该合作项目使PI能够与来自美国、法国和荷兰的经验丰富的学者和工程师积极合作并以他们为中心，带领PI、他的研究所和英国成为具有世界一流创新能力的世界一流的人才、组织和地方，成为世界领先者，这也是EPSRC最新战略计划的愿景。