Array antenna technology for wireless systems is highly integrated for demands such as multi-functionality and high-performance. This paper details recent technologies in Japan in design techniques based on computational electromagnetics, antenna hardware techniques in the millimeter-wave band, array signal processing to add adaptive functions, and measurement methods to support design techniques, for array antennas for future wireless systems. Prospects of these four technologies are also described.

Forty years after the first application of Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) [1], [2] for geophysical purposes, they have recently become a valued tool for mineral exploration. One of the most common applications is time domain (or transient) electromagnetics (TEM), an active method, where the inductive response from the ground to a changing current (mostly rectangular) in a loop on the surface is measured. After the current in the transmitter coil is switched, eddy currents are excited in the ground, which decay in a manner dependent on the conductivity of the underlying geologic structure. The resulting secondary magnetic field at the surface is measured during the off-time by a receiver coil (induced voltage) or by a magnetometer (e.g. SQUID or fluxgate). The recorded transient signal quality is improved by stacking positive and negative decays. Alternatively, the TEM results can be inverted and give the electric conductivity of the ground over depth. Since SQUIDs measure the magnetic field with high sensitivity and a constant frequency transfer function, they show a superior performance compared to conventional induction coils, especially in the presence of strong conductors. As the primary field, and especially its slew rate, are quite large, SQUID systems need to have a large slew rate and dynamic range. Any flux jump would make the use of standard stacking algorithms impossible. IPHT and Supracon are developing and producing SQUID systems based on low temperature superconductors (LTS, in our case niobium), which are now state-of-the-art. Due to the large demand, we are additionally supplying systems with high temperature superconductors (HTS, in our case YBCO). While the low temperature SQUID systems have a better performance (noise and slew rate), the high temperature SQUID systems are easier to handle in the field. The superior performance of SQUIDs compared to induction coils is the most important factor for the detection of good conductors at large depth or ore bodies underneath conductive overburden.

Channel modeling, which is quite important for wireless communications system design, is difficult to be statistically generated from experimental results due to the expense and time constraints. However, with the computational electromagnetics method, the Electro-Magnetic (EM) field can be emulated and the corresponding EM wave propagation scenario can be analyzed. In this letter, the Finite Integration Technique (FIT) method is utilized to calculate the EM wave propagation of the onboard mobile communications in the cabin of an aircraft. With the simulation results, the channel model is established. Compared with Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD), the proposed scheme is more accurate, which is promising to be used in the cabin channel modeling for onboard mobile system design.

To make the best use of the known characteristics of the alternating-direction-implicit finite-difference time-domain (ADI-FDTD) method such as unconditional stability and modeling accuracy, an efficient time domain solution with variable time-step size is proposed. Numerical results show that a time-step size for a given mesh size can be increased preserving a desired numerical accuracy over frequencies of interest.

There have been significant advances in computational electromagnetics (CEM) in the last decade for a variety of antennas and propagation problems. Improvements in single frequency techniques including the finite element method (FEM), the fast mulitipole moment (FMM) method, and the method of moments (MoM) have led to significant simulation capabilities on basic computing platforms. Similar advances have occurred with time domain methods including finite difference time domain (FDTD) methods, time domain integral equation (TDIE) methods, and time domain finite element (TD-FEM) methods. Very complex radiating and scattering structures in the presence of complex materials have been modeled with many of these approaches. Many commercial products have been made available through the efforts of many individuals. The CEM simulators have enabled virtual EM test ranges that have led to dramatic improvements in our understanding of antennas and propagation in complex environments and to the realization of many of their important applications.

We describe elements of a fast integral equation solver for large periodic and partly periodic finite array systems. A key element of the algorithm is utilization (in a rigorous way) of a block-Toeplitz structure of the impedance matrix in conjunction with either conventional Method of Moments (MoM), Fast Multipole Method (FMM), or Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-based Adaptive Integral Method (AIM) compression techniques. We refer to the resulting algorithms as the (block-)Toeplitz-MoM, (block-)Toeplitz-AIM, or (block-)Toeplitz-FMM algorithms. While the computational complexity of the Toeplitz-AIM and Toeplitz-FMM algorithms is comparable to that of their non-Toeplitz counterparts, they offer a very significant (about two orders of magnitude for problems of the order of five million unknowns) storage reduction. In particular, our comparisons demonstrate, that the Toeplitz-AIM algorithm offers significant advantages in problems of practical interest involving arrays with complex antenna elements. This result follows from the more favorable scaling of the Toeplitz-AIM algorithm for arrays characterized by large number of unknowns in a single array element and applicability of the AIM algorithm to problems requiring strongly sub-wavelength resolution.

This paper presents a novel concept of a Two-Dimensional (2-D) Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) formulation for the numerical analysis of electromagnetic fields. FDTD method proposed by Yee is widely used for such analysis, although it has an inherent problem that there exist half-cell-length and half-time-step distances between electric and magnetic field components. To dissolve such distances, we begin with the finite-difference approximation of the wave equation, not Maxwell's equations. Employing several approximation techniques, we develop a novel algorithm which can condense all field components to equidistant discrete nodes. The proposed algorithm is evaluated in comparison with several conventional algorithms by computer simulations.

Fuzzy inference abilities were implemented to electromagnetic problems for the first time by the authors. After very successful results of applying the developed fuzzy modeling method to input impedance of a general monopole antenna, in this paper classifying the engineering electromagnetic problems simply, we apply the abilities of the proposed fuzzy inference method to make a qualitative model for transmission lines as a general example for a certain category of problems. The proposed approach starts from observing the problem through the window of human direct understandings and uses some parameters (as calculation base) evaluated basic for modeling process. It is shown that because of using this novel view point, a very simple fuzzy system based on new parameters may model the behavior of a transmission line in general form. The knowledge of each variable can be extracted and saved as simple curves individually, through continuing to make several models considering the desired variable as parameter. Finally, it is shown that the proposed method works even in highly nonuniform transmission line cases without changing in structure and complexity.

The abilities of fuzzy inference methods in modeling of complicated systems are implemented to electromagnetics for the first time. The very popular and well known monopole antenna is chosen as a general example and a fast, simple and accurate fuzzy model for its input impedance is made by introducing a new point of view to impedance basic parameters. It is established that a surprisingly little number of input data points is sufficient to make a full model and also the system behavior (dominant rules) are saved as simple membership functions. The validity of the derived rules is confirmed through applying them to the case of thin-angled monopole antenna and comparing the results with the measured. Finally using the spatial membership function context, input impedance of thick-angled monopole antenna is predicted and a novel view point to conventional electromagnetic parameters is discussed to generalize the modeling method.

The H-polarized diffraction by a wedge consisting of perfect conductor and lossless dielectric is investigated by employing the dual integral equations. Its physical optics diffraction coefficients are expressed in a finite series of cotangent functions weighted by the Fresnel reflection coefficients. A correction rule is extracted from the difference between the diffraction coefficients of the physical optics field and those of the exact solution to a perfectly conducting wedge. The angular period of the cotangent functions is changed to satisfy the edge condition at the tip of the wedge, and the poles of the cotangent functions are relocated to cancel out the incident field in the artificially complementary region. Numerical results assure that the presented correction is highly effective for reducing the error posed in the physical optics solution.

A simple method is developed to analyze a bent waveguide, which is described in the cylindrical coordinate system. By means of this method based on the Galerkin method, the sampling spacing can be chosen arbitrarily and it is possible to treat narrow beams. In addition we introduce the absorber using the graded lossy material. As this lossy absorber can remove the radiation wave from the bend, so we can use the finite computational window. The lightwaves propagating in the uniform bend of the slab waveguide and of the nonlinear slab waveguide are demonstrated.