Smart Antennas - Stay Tuned!

General description

Imagine your phone would still need a cable...

Wouldn't it be hard to travel arround europe?

Or to move a meeting with your friends because you missed a bus?

And now imagine that this cable (which would be approximately 15.000 km long if you want to go to Australia) would be replaced by a short wire which would connect you to everything. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Luckily this imagination became reality quite a long time ago!

Nowadays, as we don't only call each other but want to watch videos and send selfies to our friends and families, the short wire just doesn't suffice anymore.

With the everyday increasing data rates, and the huge amount of participants in the wireless communication channels, as well as the more and more restricitive regulations, communication systems demand antennas which are able to adapt their characteristics to the current environment and needs.

Come to Graz, the city where Tesla got his first academic tools.

Here you will not only learn how to use Maxwell's equations in order to get an antenna which radiates the way you would expect, but also how to arrange and control these antennas in a way which allows them to improve their performance and become more robust.

Academic information

Fields of activity:

Electrical/Electromechanical Engineering , Electronic/Electrotechnical Engineering , Physics/Physics Engineering , Telecommunications/Electronics

Content and topics:

This lecture provides a first overview of basic concepts related to antennas and introduces the parameters which describe the radiation characteristics. After a description of various antenna types (loop antennas, travelling wave antennas, frequency independent antennas, aperture antennas, printed antennas), the concept of antenna arrays is introduced. These fundamental concepts lead to the definition of smart antennas, which incorporate antenna arrays and digital signal processing algorithms to readapt their radiation characteristics based on the environmental situation. Along with the theoretical overview, the students get hands-on experience with practical examples, both with simulation software and laboratory measurements.

Learning goals and objectives:

* Understanding of radiation properties * Knowledge on antenna technologies and systems * Algorithms for smart antennas (Direction of Arrival Estimation, Beam steering towards the signal of interest, cancellation of interferences) * Analysis and synthesis of antennas using EM-software * Measurement and characterisation of antenna parameters

Examination type:

written exam

ECTS credits issued:

1.0

Information for applicants

Selection criteria:

The main criteria for the selection is the motivation letter and the answers to the questions, where we focus on the interest in the topic. Furthermore we want to ensure a maximal cultural diversity and gender balance among the participants.

Practical arrangements

All of the following are covered by the event fee:

Lodging:

You will be hosted in a student dormitory or some similar institution.

Meals:

We will have some lunch in the local restaurants and the canteen, all other meals will be cooked and served by your helpful organisers! :)

Transportation:

Public transport, walking.