Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

2-1-2012

Abstract

In order to improve the efficiency of the spectrum usage (available idle spectrum), cognitive radio devices should identify their environment, work in conjunction with other cognitive radio devices, and reconfigure themselves. The concept that becomes crucial when designing cognitive radio devices is reconfigurability. Active components are used as switches in order to transform a device into a reconfigurable one. However, when switches are applied to an antenna design, we are not only making it reconfigurable, but we may also be affecting the electromagnetic properties of the reconfigurable communicating antenna. An alternate solution is presented in this thesis based on a reconfigurable filter that is embedded in the feeding line of the cognitive antenna to produce a integrated antenna-filter combination which we call “Filtenna.” Two Filtenna designs are presented in this work. One of the designs is based on a band pass filter while the other utilizes a band reject filter. Furthermore, a varactor-based prototype was implemented and tested to provide the versatility required to tune a wideband Vivaldi antenna to a wide range of frequencies in a cognitive radio environment.

Keywords

software radio, cognitive radio networks, adaptive antennas

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Electrical Engineering

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Christodoulou, Christos

Second Committee Member

Schamiloglu, Edl

Third Committee Member

Costantine, Joseph

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