FORMAT: A Reconfigurable Tile-Based Antenna Array System for 5G and 6G Millimeter-Wave Testbeds
Journal article, 2022

This article introduces the FORMAT array, a reconfigurable millimeter-wave antenna array platform based on antenna tiles. FORMAT stands for Flexible Organization and Reconfiguration of Millimeter-wave Antenna Tiles, which is a unique hardware solution aiming to implement and demonstrate a variety of antenna array concepts, as well as different array architectures and configurations from the same basic module, providing even benchmark between different solutions and thus valuable insights into fifth-generation (5G) and beyond-5G antenna systems. The combination of a minimum-sized tile with 3D-printed frame parts enables antenna arrays of a variety of sizes, allows multiple beamforming architectures, and a range of different antenna element positioning in the array. The hardware implementation is thoroughly described, with a few different array assemblies being manufactured and measured, validating their antenna performance with over-the-air measurements. Finally, using FORMAT hardware as both base station and user equipment, a 5-m wireless communication link was set up, achieving 4.8 Gbps downlink speed with QAM64 modulation.

Antennas

beamforming

Array signal processing

Antenna arrays

massive MIMO

Hardware

Computer architecture

antenna tile

fifth-generation (5G)

5G mobile communication

Antenna measurements

6G

antenna arrays

Author

Eduardo V.P. Anjos

KU Leuven

Marzieh Salarrahimi

KU Leuven

Thomas A.H. Bressner

Eindhoven University of Technology

Parastoo Taghikhani

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Microwave Electronics

Adrian Lahuerta-Lavieja

KU Leuven

Amr Elsakka

Eindhoven University of Technology

Jorrit S. Siebenga

Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON)

V. Volski

KU Leuven

Christian Fager

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Microwave Electronics

D. Schreurs

KU Leuven

Guy A.E. Vandenbosch

KU Leuven

U. Johannsen

Eindhoven University of Technology

A. B. Smolders

Eindhoven University of Technology

Marcel Geurts

NXP Semiconductors Netherlands

IEEE Systems Journal

1932-8184 (ISSN) 19379234 (eISSN)

Vol. 16 3 4489-4500

Subject Categories

Telecommunications

Communication Systems

Embedded Systems

DOI

10.1109/JSYST.2022.3146360

More information

Latest update

7/23/2024