By Asma Jlassi |
01/02/2022
MIMO Antenna System for Wireless Communication
Multiple-input multiple-output, or MIMO, has become a mainstream antenna technology for wireless communication devices due to its numerous advantages over MISO and SIMO systems; MIMO uses multiple antennas to improve signal quality, spectral efficiency, and strength of RF link reliability; it has been playing a key role in the deployment of Wi-Fi, LTE; 4G, 5G, and many other radio, wireless and RF advanced technologies. However, it is more challenging to design and maintain a MIMO system; thus, the a need to use high-frequency antenna simulation software early on in the MIMO lifecycle.
Design challenges posed by MIMO
The design of a MIMO system is a challenging endeavor, especially for 5G applications; it requires the placement of many antenna elements in a compact area which affects the channel capacity, bandwidth, gain, polarization diversity, cross talk, and distortion of the system. In addition, MIMO must support multiband operations in different regions in the world. Whether used in precoding, spatial multiplexing, or diversity coding configurations, the MIMO antennas must be carefully designed and optimized.
Example of Dual-polarized Eight- elements MIMO antenna for smartphone
HFWorks for MIMO antennas
HFWorks is an antenna simulator software widely used by MIMO engineers to overcome the above-mentioned design challenges. Based on the frequency domain finite element, HFWorks has no limitation on the shape or number of the antenna elements; nor does it have a frequency band restriction, i.e. LTE, 4G, or 5G. In a few clicks, you can compute the near- and far fields, all antenna parameters, and radiation patterns; it is also equipped with a built-in thermal solver that computes the temperature in the entire device and across biological tissues like shown in the plot below for a human head exposed to electromagnetic radiations of a MIMO antenna.
E-field and Temperature distributions for the 3.6 GHz smartphone MIMO antenna
Conclusion
MIMO technology revolutionizes wireless communication by enhancing signal quality and reliability, but its complexity requires advanced simulation tools like HFWorks for effective design and optimization. HFWorks' capability to simulate unlimited antenna shapes and numbers across all frequency bands, along with its thermal analysis features, makes it indispensable for engineers tackling the challenges of compact, high-performance MIMO systems, ensuring the seamless deployment of next-generation wireless technologies.