Title:

Scattering by Load-Modulated Antennas: Background, RFID and Sensing Applications

Date:

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 @ 11:00am

Location:

E1-270 EITC, University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus

Speaker:

Prof. Jean-Charles Bolomey
IEEE Distinguished Lecturer (Antennas and Propagation Society)
Paris-Sud University, France

Abstract:

While transmitting and receiving properties of antennas are fully formulated and well understood, scattering issues remain more mysterious, even if they have been positively exploited for a while in the antenna engineer practice for shaping radiation patterns, adjusting input impedances, or for characterization purposes. More specifically, this presentation is focused on modulated scattering-based systems, which have been successfully developed during the last decades. Operating an antenna in a scattering mode allows avoiding any RF front-end, resulting in very simple and compact passive or battery-assisted transponders. These advantages are now widely exploited in low-cost RFID tags, as well as in low-invasive MST (Modulated Scatterer Technique) probes for EM-field measurements.

This presentation consists of two major parts. The first one consists of a short tutorial review of the minimum engineering background required for a comprehensive approach to modulated scattering systems. Small antennas will be more particularly considered because low-invasiveness and high spatial resolution constitute significant advantages in many sensing applications. The power budget, a key issue for such systems, is derived from a very simple reciprocity-based formulation. The advantage of this analytical formulation is to apply for arbitrarily complex scenarios. In addition, the influence of various parameters are clearly identified, paving the way for optimizing the antenna design in terms of global system performance. Examples of both active and passive scatterers illustrate the efficiency of this approach.

The second part is more speculative and aims to identify transfer opportunities between RFID’s and MST technologies. As compared to existing MST probes, passive RFID tags offer, at a glance, the indisputable advantage of fully wireless modulation. However, they also suffer autonomy/life time limitations and are constrained by standard regulations in terms of frequency range and power level. Furthermore, they exhibit specific technical difficulties, such as non-linearity of the IC chips loading the antenna. Various solutions to these drawbacks are addressed. Focusing on the case of systems involving arrays of modulated scatterers for its growing relevance in rapid imaging and wireless sensing (e.g. antenna measurement, industrial testing, medical diagnostic…), it is shown how the architecture of MST systems has conceptually changed during the last decades, primarily to face the critical sensitivity issue. Such an evolution suggests promising solutions based on either RFID-derived or breakthrough technologies. To conclude, it is remembered that, while microwaves suffer no competition in the field of communications, they are loosing this comfortable privilege for Industrial Scientific Medical (ISM) applications where they must compete with many other efficient and already well-established modalities. In this competition, new modulated scattering technologies are reasonably expected contributing to valorize the specific advantages already recognized to microwave-based sensing modalities.

Speaker Bio:

Jean-Charles Bolomey (M’99–SM’05–F’08) graduated from the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité (Supelec), France, in 1963, and received the Ph.D. degree on an hybrid numerical-experimental approach to scattering in resonance domain from Paris-Sud University, France, in 1971.
He is currently an Emeritus Professor at Paris-Sud University. Since 1981, his research, conducted in the Laboratoire des Signaux et Systèmes, has been devoted to Near-Field techniques in a broad sense, including antenna measurement, EMC testing, as well as Industrial-Scientific-Medical (ISM) applications. His contributions have mostly concerned measurement techniques. He has more particularly promoted the modulated probe array technology and has coauthored with Prof. F. Gardiol a reference book on principles and applications of the Modulated Scattering Technique (MST). He is holder of several patents covering various MST probe array arrangements for microwave sensing and imaging systems. In 1986, he founded the company SATIMO. He has been also involved in industrial applications of microwave heating, as a Chairman of the Microwave Group of Electricité de France (EDF), and was appointed as a Consultant by the Délégation Générale de l’Armement (DGA) in the field of High Power Microwave (HPM) metrology. He has actively contributed to several cooperative European programs ranging from medical hyperthermia to industrial process tomography and has contributed to various prototype transfer and evaluation procedures in these areas. Recently, his research was related to RF dosimetry and rapid SAR measurements for wireless communication devices. He is now continuing his research on load-modulated scattering antennas, and, more particularly, novel sensing applications of RFID-based technology. He is also contributing as a member of several Scientific Advisory Boards of European Institutions and startup companies. He has been appointed as Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society (2011–2013).
Prof. Bolomey is Fellow of IEEE. He has received several awards, including the Blondel Medal of the Société des Electriciens et des Electroniciens (1976), the Général Ferrié Award of the French Academy of Sciences (1984), the Schlumberger Stitching Fund Award for his contribution to inverse scattering techniques in microwave imagery (1994), the Distinguished Achievement Award of the Antenna Measurement Technique Association (AMTA) for his pioneering activity in the field of modulated probe arrays (1991), the Medal of the French URSI Chapter (2004) and has been elected as Edmond S. Gillespie Fellow for AMTA (2007).

Cost:

This will be a free event.

Contact:

For questions or more information: Puyan Mojabi 474 6754.

Date:

June 17-22, 2012

Location:

Montreal, Canada

Abstract:

Join us in Montréal to celebrate the 60th anniversary of both the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S) and the International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012). The IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society’s 2012 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012) will be held on June 17-22, 2012 in Montréal, Canada as the centerpiece of Microwave Week 2012. IMS2012 offers technical sessions, interactive forums, plenary and panel sessions, workshops, short courses, industrial exhibits, application seminars, historical exhibits, and a wide array of other technical and social activities including a guest program. Co-located with IMS2012 are the RFIC symposium (www.rfic2012.org) and the ARFTG conference (www.arftg.org), which comprise the Microwave Week 2012 technical program. With over 12,000 attendees and over 800 industrial exhibits of the latest state-of-the-art microwave products, Microwave Week is the world’s largest gathering of Radio Frequency (RF) and microwave professionals and the most important forum for the latest and most advanced research in the area.

Contact:

Nazih Khaddaj Mallat, Conference Secretariat

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• Tips for Publications and Conferences Presentations

Title:

Performance Enhancement of Ultra Wideband Antennas for Communication and Microwave Imaging Applications

Date:

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 @ 2:30pm

Location:

370 Helen Glass, University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus

Speaker:

Abdelhalim Mohamed
University of Manitoba
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract:

Omnidirectional and directional UWB antennas for communication and microwave imaging applications are investigated. To reduce interference with existing technologies, monopole antennas with efficient band-stop functions are introduced. Single and double slots acting as series resonators are used. To eliminate signal distortion caused by such monopole antennas, phase centre behaviour over the entire frequency band of operation is investigated at different principle planes, which have not been done before. This study will also show that how these antennas act in different communication scenarios and where the radiation will be coming from at different frequencies. The effect of including different slots with different shapes on the performance of phase centre of these antennas is also investigated. Novel UWB microstrip antennas with low cross polarization components are introduced to work over the frequency band from 3 to 20 GHz. The antennas introduced are double-layer structures in which the radiator is sandwiched between two identical partial ground planes or a partial ground plane is sandwiched between two radiators. Results show a significant reduction in the cross polarization components at all frequencies. Finally, a novel high gain UWB Vee dipole antenna with a UWB coaxial balun feed is introduced to cover the existing and future UWB communication applications. Different type of loadings such as a reflecting ground below the antenna, a dielectric sleeve over the UWB balun and conical dielectrics between the Vee plates are also used and studied that show enhanced gains and lower sidelobes. A miniaturized-type UWB Vee dipole antenna is also investigated for microwave imaging applications. The antenna has a small radiation aperture which makes it a good candidate for array type applications.

Speaker Bio:

Abdelhalim Mohamed received his B.Sc. and M.Sc degrees from Zagazig University and Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, in 1994 and 2003, respectively, both in Electronics and Communications Engineering. From 1994 to 1995, he was a hardware and software technical engineer with Egypt Data Company for Computer and Communication Equipments, Cairo, Egypt. From 1995 to 1997, he served as an Officer Engineer with the Egyptian Ministry of Defense. From 1997 to 2002, he was a Research Assistant with the Microwave Engineering Department, Electronics Research Institute (ERI), Cairo, Egypt. From 1999 to 2003, he was also working as a teaching assistant with the Computer Science Department, the American University in Cairo, Egypt. From 2003 to 2004, he was an assistant researcher with ERI, Cairo, Egypt. Currently, he is completing his Ph.D. in Antenna and Applied Electromagnetics at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. His research interests include UWB Electromagnetics and UWB Antennas.

Cost:

This will be a free event.

Contact:

For questions or more information: Vladimir Okhmatovski 480-1432

Title:

Investigation of Parabolic Reflector Antennas as Single and Multi-Phase Centre Virtual Antennas

Date:

Tuesday, December 6, 2011 @ 1:00pm

Location:

176 Helen Glass, University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus

Speaker:

Maria Pour
University of Manitoba
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract:

The concept of multi-phase centre virtual antenna is investigated when a dual-mode primary feed is placed at the focal point of an offset reflector antenna. The virtual antenna requires that the antenna have multiple phase centre locations with identical radiation patterns. It is shown that different polarizations and mode content factors of a dual-mode circular waveguide can displace the phase centre location of an offset reflector antenna without changing its radiation patterns. This novel idea has promising applications in modern satellite, remote sensing, global positioning systems, and radars with moving platform. Some properties of single-phase centre antenna applications are also studied using analytical primary feed model.

Speaker Bio:

Zahra Allahgholi Pour received her B.Sc. and M.Sc degrees from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, and the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada, in Feb. 1997 and July 2006, respectively, both in Electrical Engineering. From 1997 to 2003, she was an RF engineer working on various RF transceiver modules for wireless and cellular applications. Currently, she is completing her Ph.D. in Antenna and Applied Electromagnetics at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. Her research interests include Antennas, Electromagnetics, and Microwave and RF systems.

Cost:

This will be a free event.

Contact:

For questions or more information: Vladimir Okhmatovski 480-1432

Title:

Antenna Design Considerations for 4G/LTE Mobile Applications

Date:

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 @ 11:00am

Location:

E1-270 EITC, University of Manitoba Fort Garry Campus

Speaker:

Dr. C.J. Reddy
EM Software & Systems (USA) Inc. (maker of FEKO)
Hampton, VA, USA

Abstract:

Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is one of the 4G mobile communication technologies that are being developed at different frequencies, ranging from 400 MHz to 4 GHz with bandwidths up to 20 MHz. The LTE standard allows Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology to support high data rate 4G applications. However, modern day handsets with thin and slim shapes are making it difficult to integrate several antennas onto a small Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Computational Electromagnetic Simulations are used for the design, analysis and optimization of the antenna design. Numerical results of the antenna analysis and the channel capacity calculations will be presented at the lecture.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. C. J. Reddy is the President of EM Software & Systems (USA) Inc. At EMSS he is leading the marketing and support of commercial 3D electromagnetic software, FEKO in the US, Canada, and Mexico. In addition, Dr. Reddy is the President and Chief Technical Officer of Applied EM Inc, a small company specializing in computational electromagnetics, antenna design and development. At Applied EM, Dr. Reddy successfully led many Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) projects from the US Department of Defense (DoD). Dr. Reddy is a Senior Member of the IEEE and AMTA. He is also a member of the Applied Computational Electromagnetic Society (ACES) and serves as a member on the ACES Board of Directors. Dr. Reddy was the General Chair of the ACES 2011 Conference which was held in Williamsburg, VA during March 2011. He has published more than 60 refereed journal articles and conference papers so far.

Cost:

This will be a free event.

Contact:

For questions or more information: Vladimir Okhmatovski 480-1432