This work examines the reduced-cost design optimization of dual- and multi-band antennas. The primary challenge is independent yet simultaneous control of the antenna responses at two or more frequency bands. In order to handle this task, a feature-based optimization approach is adopted where the design objectives are formulated on the basis of the coordinates of so-called characteristic points (or response features) of the antenna response. Due to only slightly nonlinear dependence of the feature points on antenna geometry parameters, optimization can be attained at a low computational cost. Our approach is demonstrated using two antenna structures with the optimum designs obtained in just a few dozen of EM simulations of the respective structure.
In the paper, a procedure for precise and expedited design optimization of unequal power split patch couplers is proposed. Our methodology aims at identifying the coupler dimensions that correspond to the circuit operating at the requested frequency and featuring a required power split. At the same time, the design process is supposed to be computationally efficient. The proposed methodology involves two types of auxiliary models (surrogates): an inverse one, constructed from a set of reference designs optimized for particular power split values, and a forward one which represents the circuit S-parameter gradients as a function of the power split ratio. The inverse model directly yields the values of geometry parameters of the coupler for any required power split, whereas the forward model is used for a post-scaling correction of the circuit characteristics. For the sake of illustration, a 10-GHz circular sector patch coupler is considered. The power split ratio of the structure is re-designed within a wide range of ��6 dB to 0 dB. As demonstrated, precise scaling (with the power split error smaller than 0.02 dB and the operating frequency error not exceeding 0.05 GHz) can be achieved at the cost of less than three full-wave EM simulations of the coupler. Numerical results are validated experimentally.
Two-dimensional numerical investigations of the fluid flow and heat transfer have been carried out for the laminar flow of the louvered fin-plate heat exchanger, designed to work as an air-source heat pump evaporator. The transferred heat and the pressure drop predicted by simulation have been compared with the corresponding experimental data taken from the literature. Two dimensional analyses of the louvered fins with varying geometry have been conducted. Simulations have been performed for different geometries with varying louver pitch, louver angle and different louver blade number. Constant inlet air temperature and varying velocity ranging from 2 to 8 m/s was assumed in the numerical experiments. The air-side performance is evaluated by calculating the temperature and the pressure drop ratio. Efficiency curves are obtained that can be used to select optimum louver geometry for the selected inlet parameters. A total of 363 different cases of various fin geometry for 7 different air velocities were investigated. The maximum heat transfer improvement interpreted in terms of the maximum efficiency has been obtained for the louver angle of 16° and the louver pitch of 1.35 mm. The presented results indicate that varying louver geometry might be a convenient way of enhancing performance of heat exchangers.
Design closure, i.e., adjustment of geometry parameters to boost the performance, is a challenging stage of antenna design process. Given complexity of contemporary structures, reliable parameter tuning requires numerical optimization and can be executed using local algorithms. Yet, EM-driven optimization is a computationally expensive endeavour and reducing its cost is highly desirable. In this paper, a modification of the trust-region gradient search algorithm is proposed for accelerated optimization of antenna structures. The algorithm is based on sparse updates of antenna sensitivities involving various methods that include the Broyden formula used for selected parameters, as well as dimensionality- and convergence-dependent acceptance thresholds which enable additional speedup, and make the procedure easy to tune for various numbers of antenna parameters. Comprehensive verification executed for a set of benchmark antennas delivers consistent results and considerable cost reduction of up to 60 percent with respect to the reference algorithm. Experimental validation is also provided.
Internet of Things (IoT) will play an important role in modern communication systems. Thousands of devices will talk to each other at the same time. Clearly, smart and efficient hardware will play a vital role in the development of IoT. In this context, the importance of antennas increases due to them being essential parts of communication networks. For IoT applications, a small size with good matching and over a wide frequency range is preferred to ensure reduced size of communication devices. In this paper, we propose a structure and discuss design optimization of a wideband antenna for IoT applications. The antenna consists of a stepped-impedance feed line, a rectangular radiator and a ground plane. The objective is to minimize the antenna footprint by simultaneously adjusting all geometry parameters and to maintain the electrical characteristic of antenna at an acceptable level. The obtained design exhibits dimensions of only 3.7 mm × 11.8 mm and a footprint of 44 mm2, an omnidirectional radiation pattern, and an excellent pattern stability. The proposed antenna can be easily handled within compact communication devices. The simulation results are validated through measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.
A simulation-based optimization approach to design of phase excitation tapers for linear phased antenna arrays is presented. The design optimization process is accelerated by means of Surrogate-Based Optimization (SBO); it uses a coarse-mesh surrogate of the array element for adjusting the array’s active reflection coefficient responses and a fast surrogate of the antenna array radiation pattern. The primary optimization objective is to minimize side-lobes in the principal plane of the radiation pattern while scanning the main beam. The optimization outcome is a set of element phase excitation tapers versus the scan angle. The design objectives are evaluated at the high fidelity level of description using simulations of the discrete electromagnetic model of the entire array so that the effects of element coupling and other possible interaction within the array structure are accounted for. At the same time, the optimization process is fast due to SBO. Performance and numerical cost of the approach are demonstrated by optimizing a 16-element linear array of microstrip antennas. Experimental verification has been carried out for a manufactured prototype of the optimized array. It demonstrates good agreement between the radiation patterns obtained from simulations and from physical measurements (the latter constructed through superposition of the measured element patterns).
Compact radiators with circular polarization are important components of modern mobile communication systems. Their design is a challenging process which requires maintaining simultaneous control over several performance figures but also the structure size. In this work, a novel design framework for multi-stage constrained miniaturization of antennas with circular polarization is presented. The method involves se- quential optimization of the radiator in respect of selected performance figures and, eventually, the size. Optimizations are performed with iteratively increased number of design constraints. Numerical efficiency of the method is ensured using a fast local-search algorithm embedded in a trust-region framework. The proposed design framework is demonstrated using a compact planar radiator with circular polarization. The optimized antenna is characterized by a small size of 271 mm2 with 37% and 47% bandwidths in respect of 10 dB return loss and 3 dB axial ratio, respectively. The structure is benchmarked against the state-of-the-art circular polarization antennas. Numerical results are confirmed by measurements of the fabricated antenna prototype.
Re-design of a given antenna structure for various substrates is a practically important issue yet non trivial, particularly for wideband and ultra-wideband antennas. In this work, a technique for expedited redesign of ultra-wideband antennas for various substrates is presented. The proposed approach is based on inverse surrogate modeling with the scaling model constructed for several reference designs that are optimized for selected values of the substrate permittivity. The surrogate is set up at the level of coarse-discretization EM simulation model of the antenna and, subsequently, corrected to provide prediction at the high-fidelity EM model level. The dimensions of the antenna scaled to any substrate permittivity within the region of validity of the surrogate are obtained instantly, without any additional EM simulation necessary. The proposed approach is demonstrated using an ultra-wideband monopole with the permittivity scaling range from 2.2 to 4.5. Numerical validation is supported by physical measurements of the fabricated prototypes of the re-designed antennas.
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