Communications satellites have been the primary mission from the early period of Japanese space development and their on-board communication equipment are the core devices to realize satellite communications systems. The technologies for this equipment have been developed to meet the requirements of high capacity and high functionality under the severe satellite-imposed constraints. This paper summarizes progress in on-board communication equipment technologies developed and verified by using Engineering Test Satellites and commercial satellites in Japan and describes their prospects.

Massive MIMO transmission, whose number of antennas is much larger than the number of user terminals, has been attracted much attention as one of key technologies in next-generation mobile communication system because it enables improvement in service area and interference mitigation by simple signal processing. Multi-beam massive MIMO has proposed that utilizes the beam selection with high power in analog part and blind algorithm such as constant modulus algorithm (CMA) which does not need channel state information (CSI) is applied in digital part. Proposed configuration obtains high transmission efficiency. We have evaluated QPSK signals because the CMA basically focuses on the constant amplitude modulation. In this paper, in order to achieve the further higher transmission rate, the amplitude and phase compensation scheme is proposed when using the CMA with amplitude and phase modulation scheme such as QAM. The effectiveness of proposed method is verified by the computer simulation.

In a Cognitive Radio system, it is essential to recognize and avoid sources of interference signals. This paper describes a study on a location sensing scheme for interference signals, which utilizes multi-beam phased array antenna for cognitive wireless networks. This paper also elucidates its estimation accuracy of the interference location for the radio communication link using an OFDM signal such as WiMAX. Furthermore, we use the frequency spectrum of the received OFDM interference signal, to create a method that can estimate the propagation status. This spectrum can be monitored by using a software defined radio receiver.

To create a next-generation mobile satellite communication system that offers large communication capacity, the onboard antenna system must be a multi-beam system consisting of a light weight 20-m class reflector and a light weight 100-beam class antenna feed system. We clarify that the antenna gain decrease created by the reflector surface distortion expected in orbit is relatively large. This paper presents a deformed antenna pattern compensation method that minimizes circuit scale. Validity of the proposed method is confirmed by antenna pattern calculations and experiments on a fabricated array-fed reflector antenna.

Channel state information (CSI) at transmitter plays an important role for multiuser MIMO broadcast channels, but full CSI at transmitter is not available for many practical systems. Previous work has proposed orthonormal random beamforming (ORBF) [16] for MIMO broadcast channels with partial channel state information (CSI) feedback, and shown that ORBF achieves the optimal sum-rate capacity for a large number of users. However, for cellular systems with moderate number of users, i.e., no more than 64, ORBF only achieves slight performance gain. Therefore, we analyze the performance of ORBF with moderate number of users and total transmit power constraint and show that ORBF scheme is more efficient under low SNR. Then we propose an adaptive ORBF scheme that selects the number of random beams for simultaneous transmission according to the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Moreover, a multi-beam selection (MBS) scheme that jointly selects the number and the subset of the multiple beams is proposed to further improve the system performance for low SNR cases. The simulation results show that the proposed schemes achieve significant performance improvement when the number of users is moderate.

This paper presents a beamspace-time transmit diversity scheme that uses a space-time block code (STBC) and a fixed multi-beam transmit array with low sidelobes for time-domain spreading orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing code-division multiplexing (OFDM-CDM) downlink transmission. The scheme assigns space-time-coded signals to a pair of neighboring beams via closed-loop beam selection. Time-domain spreading provides non-frequency selectivity in each spreading region, which makes it possible for multiple STBCs to share any beam and to be decoded after despreading. Simulation results demonstrated that multiple transmit beams and multiple receive antennas provide large beam gains and/or a high order of diversity gains. In addition, the proposed scheme spatially separates users by beam and thus alleviates multi-user interference.

In this paper, a rotman lens of multi-beam feed that can be applied to a car collision avoidance radar is designed using nonradiative dielectric (NRD) guide appropriate to the millimeter wave frequency. For the optimum condition, NRD guide at the transmission lines of input and output ports is designed to obtain low loss, small coupling between the transmission lines, and dominant mode operation. The rotman lens is also optimized so as to minimize sidelobe of array factor. To prevent beam pattern from being distorted, multiple-reflection from sidewall has been eliminated by corrugated sidewall.

The design of an electron gun was examined from the viewpoints of pre-focus lens, main lens, corner focus and cathode current. Accordingly, multi-beam electron gun has been developed to catch up with the remarkable progress of resolution in computer peripheral devices such as digital still cameras and video boards. Multi-beam electron gun has two slot beam apertures of G1 for one cathode, and a key point of its design is to realize two-beam simultaneous convergence and focusing. To satisfy this condition, the divergence angles of electron beam bundles were designed. With this multi-beam electron gun that is superior in both of beam spot size and drive voltage, the 5 million pixels CRT could be realized.

Precise and quick multi-beam forming including null control will be one of the key technologies for the future satellite communication systems utilizing SDMA (Space Division Multiple Access) and DOA (Direction of Arrival) estimation. In order to realize the precise multi-beam forming, calibration procedure is indispensable since there are several unavoidable factors that degrade the multi-beam patterns of the array. Particularly amplitude and phase imbalance between RF circuits needs to be calibrated frequently and quickly when the array system exists in changeable environment since the imbalance easily occurs due to thermal characteristics of each RF circuit. This paper proposes a simple and high-speed remote calibration scheme compensating for amplitude and phase imbalance among RF circuits of a transmitting adaptive array antenna onboard satellite. This calibration is conducted at a remote station such as a gateway station on the ground in the satellite communication system, by utilizing the received signal including the temporally multiplexed orthogonal codes transmitted from the array antenna onboard satellite. Since the calibration factors for all the antenna elements can be simultaneously obtained by the parallel digital signal processing, calibration time can be drastically reduced. The accuracy of this calibration is estimated by simulation. Simulation results show that the amplitude imbalance among RF circuits can be suppressed within the range from -0.5 dB to +0.25 dB for the initial imbalance ranging from -2 dB to +3.5 dB, phase imbalance can be suppressed within the range of -3 deg. to +3 deg. for the initial imbalance ranging from -120 or +180 deg. by this method. The amplitude and phase deviations among the elements can be suppressed within 0.36 dB and 2.5 degrees, respectively, in 80% of probability. Simulation results also show that this calibration method is valid under the relatively bad carrier-to-noise conditions such as -10 dB at the receiver. Good improvement of the multi-beam patterns by this calibration is shown under the low carrier-to-noise ratio condition.

This paper compares the path detection probability for Rake combining and the BER performance of packet transmission with the length of TPKT = 10 (20) msec using the coherent adaptive antenna array diversity (CAAAD) receiver with those using a multi-beam receiver employing fixed antenna weights both with four antennas in a multipath fading channel in the W-CDMA reverse link. Laboratory experimental results elucidate that the required average received signal energy per bit-to-background noise spectrum density (Eb/N0) at the detection probability of 90% of at least one path and of two paths for the fading maximum Doppler frequency of fD = 5 (80) Hz using a multi-beam receiver with the number of beams equal to NBeam = 12 was decreased by approximately 1.0 (1.0) dB and 2.0 (2.0) dB, respectively, compared to that using the CAAAD receiver with the step size of µ= 10-2 for the average received SIR of the desired user of -12 dB in a 2-path Rayleigh fading channel with average equal power in a 5-user environment. We also found that the required average received Eb/N0 at the average BER of 10-3 using the multi-beam receiver was decreased by approximately 5.0 (2.5) dB compared to that of the CAAAD receiver with µ= 10-2, and the loss of the required average received Eb/N0 compared to that of CAAAD with sufficiently converged receiver antenna weights was approximately 2.0 (1.0) dB for TPKT = 10 (20) msec when the average received SIR = -12 dB in a 5-user environment.

This paper focuses on a multi-beam combining scheme for DS-CDMA systems, which has RAKE combiners in multiple overlapped beams, in order to increase the reverse link capacity of DS-CDMA. This scheme is a very attractive technique because the maximal ratio combining (MRC) is carried out in space and time domains. However, in a practical situation, since the terminals in own sector are not uniformly located, the interference levels in respective beams are different. Therefore, receivers at the base station do not achieve ideal combining. This paper proposes a multi-beam combining scheme for DS-CDMA systems using weighting factor based on interference level of each beam. A fast closed loop transmission power control (TPC) scheme for the multi-beam combining system is also proposed. It is confirmed by computer simulation that the proposed scheme has excellent performance in the reverse link even if terminals in own sector are not uniformly located.

A low sidelobe two-beam waveguide slot array is designed and measured. The antenna structure should be symmetrical for realizing two symmetrical beams which imposes restriction in slot design for the sidelobe and the gain. The slot coupling distribution is optimized numerically for side-lobe suppression under the condition of the structural symmetry. The first side-lobe level is minimized for the specific antenna efficiency in the continuous source model. This synthesis is reinforced by the full wave slot analysis using the method of moments. The design is confirmed by experiments using a one-dimensional array at 12 GHz and the good agreements between the predictions and the measurements are observed.

The onboard antenna beam forming network (BFN) of the next-generation communication satellites must offer multiple beam forming and beam steering. The conventional BFN, which directly controls the array elements, is not suitable for a large-scale array antenna because of the difficulty of BFN control. This paper proposes a new BFN configuration that consists of three/four-way variable power dividers and a Butler matrix (FFT circuit). This BFN can offer continuous beam steering with fewer variable components. By introducing new techniques based upon excluding FFT periods and power evaluations by definite integration, the deviation in beamwidth is reduced by 75% or more and the maximum sidelobe level is improved by 10 dB or more.

This paper proposes and investigates a vehicular radar system that can measure the distance to, the relative speed of and the direction of arrival (DOA) of the reflected waves from multiple targets or vehicles using the direct-sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) technique. In particular, we propose a DOA estimation scheme using a multi-beam antenna. In order to show that the proposed system can accurately measure the above mentioned quantities, the performance is evaluated numerically in a multipath environment. Moreover, optimal multi-beam pattern is derived to minimize error probability of DOA estimation.

For quasi millimeter-wave and millimeter-wave high-speed wireless communications over wireless LANs and wireless ATMs, narrow beam antennas have been shown to provide high transmission quality by suppressing the troublesome multipath effect. However, the diameter of sector antennas needed to create the narrow beams rapidly increases with the sector number. In addition, the cylindrical shape of typical sector antennas does not suit portable terminals. This paper shows a methodology for designing planar sector antennas that overcomes these problems. The proposed antenna uses two kinds of beams and the antenna gains are equalized in all sectors. The antenna is developed as a 4-beam subarray fed by a planar Butler matrix circuit. The design method of the subarray and an evaluation of its characteristics in the 20 GHz band are discussed.

This paper describes a DBF (Digital Beamforming) technique as a spatial filtering in the radar systems. DBF for a beamformer and an adaptive processor are discussed. An architecture for the beamformer is proposed. The beamformer discussed consists of systolic arrays that can form beams arbitrarily. Antenna radiation patterns measured in an open site are shown. For the adaptive processor, Gram-Schmidt transformation method is attained by using systolic arrays. Proposed is a means to prevent target signals from being suppressed in cells of the systolic arrays and to achieve the convergent characteristics independent of the magnitude of undesired signal power. In order to demonstrate the performance of the proposed processor, a test model of the adaptive processor was developed and tested in multiple undesired signal environment. Test results are indicated.

A multi-beam airborne pulsed-Doppler radar (MBR) system is presented and its clutter rejection performance compared with conventional phased array radar (PAR)'s by PRF tuning is discussed. The pulsed-Doppler radar equations taking account of the multi-beam operation are introduced and some kinds of computer simulations for seeking the conditions to get maximum signal to clutter ratio are carried out. As a results of this, it is cleared that same order of signal to clutter ratio improvement gotten in high PRF operation by conventional PAR can be realized at lower PRF operation by MBR on clutter free area, and higher clutter rejection effect, which is proportional to beam numbers, is obtained under affection of both of mainlobe and sidelobe clutters with order of beam numbers. This also means observable numbers of range bin are increased in MBR operation.