COJOT, sister company to Alaris Antennas, has developed a range of antennas based on Switched Beam Antennas technology.
Switched Beam Antennas provide superior gain performance with very low side lobe levels. Their ability for extremely fast beam switching make the antennas suitable for complex node networks in tactical communications.
These systems form multiple fixed beams with heightened sensitivity in particular directions. These antenna systems detect signal strength, choose from one of several predetermined, fixed beams and switch from one beam to another as the mobile moves throughout the sector.
Instead of shaping the directional antenna pattern with the metallic properties and physical design of a single element, switched beam systems combine the outputs of multiple antennas in such a way as to form finely directional beams with more spatial selectivity than can be achieved with conventional, single-element approaches.
The features of the system are:
- It uses multiple fixed directional beams with narrow beam widths.
- Switched Beam antennas do not require complex algorithms; simple algorithms are used for beam selection.
- It requires only moderate interaction between mobile unit and base station as compared to adaptive array system.
- Since low technology is used, it has lesser cost and complexity.
- It provides significant increase in coverage and capacity compared to conventional antenna based systems.
These SBA’s are designed so that they have several fixed beam patterns. The control elements within the antenna can then select the most appropriate one for the conditions that have been detected.
The antenna consists of either a number of fixed beams with one beam turned on towards the desired signal or a single beam that is steered towards the desired signal.
With many applications including MIMO, Software Defined Radio – SDR, and Cognitive Radio – CR requiring antenna systems to be more adaptive and provide greater levels of adaptivity, Switched Beam antenna technology is becoming much more widely used.
For additional information on Switched Beam Antennas, please contact us.
