PROJECTS
   

Project
Acronym: ACE2 
Name: Antena Centre of Excellence 
Project status: From: 2004-01-01 To: 2007-12-31 (Completed)
Contract number:  
Action line:  
Type (Programme): FP6 
Instrument: NoE 
Project cost: -
Project funding: -
Project coordinator
Organisation Name: IDS Ingegneria dei Sistemi spa 
Organisation adress:  
Organisation country: Italija 
Contact person name: CASALI, Bruno  
Contact person email:  
Croatian partner
Organisation name: Fakultet elektrotehnike i računarstva 
Organisation address: Unska 3, 10000 Zagreb 
Contact person name: Bartolić, Juraj
Contact person tel:
  Contact person fax:  
Contact person e-mail: Email 
Partners
Organisation nameCountry
Short description of project
During 2006-2007, the ACE Network plans to extend and complete the structuring effort started in 2004-2005 (FP6-IST Contract No. 508009) by tackling the fragmented European antenna R&D, reducing duplications and boosting excellence and competitiveness in key areas.   Sophisticated antennas are a strategic multi-application technology for emerging communications, navigation and sensing services for the Information Society, Aeronautics & Space, transport, security, de-mining and tele-medicine.   Involving thousand of specialists, European antenna engineering is scattered with more than 200 Entities, and some 200 MEuro of antenna R&D yearly. In this frame, 45 top-level Institutions led the ACE 2004-2005 NoE (ACE-1). These same Institutions, with a few additions, constitute the Consortium for this ACE 2006-2007 proposal (ACE-2).    The ACE Network plans a Joint Programme of Activity with: a) horizontal integration by selecting, perfecting and regrouping for Design Software, Measurement Facilities, Teaching of top level courses and worldwide Dissemination. b) vertical integration, fostering university-industry co-operation, focusing research to support Europe’s competitiveness in 5 key areas: A. Millimetre wave and integrated antennas B. Small antennas C. Wideband and multiband antennas D. Planar and conformal arrays E. Smart antennas.    At the heart of the Network, a Virtual Antenna Centre of Excellence, will help to: - Coordinate and manage the Network - Share software, testing techniques, benchmarks and standards - Provide a University-Industry R&D forum, aimed at knowledge exchange - Support a European School on Antennas, with the best courses and on-line education - Disseminate results and promote the creation of a European Antenna Conference - Aggregate and consolidate the Antenna Scientific Community.    The ACE Network will significantly contribute to emerging wireless applications, thanks also to synergies created in 2004 and 2005 with the other IST CNT projects.   The objectives of the network:   The wireless society Radio technology has been developed from the requirements of radio and TV broadcasting, radar, radiometers and communications. The development of mobile communication has increased the number of wireless links enormously. The next revolution will be Bluetooth-type connections, vehicle telematics applications and broadband connections. These new technologies respond to the requirements of the new information society and will be accompanied by significant societal benefits, arising from the greatly enhanced mobile interconnectivity. Since these new developments will address mass-market needs, cost and efficiency have to be emphasised.   The human exposure to electromagnetic radiation is of increasing concern, and must be handled by antennas that give better-controlled emissions, that can only be designed using more precise prediction methods. On the other hand, interaction with the human body is essential for new medical applications, such as imaging, and in implant systems, where data are transferred between an antenna in the body and another close by. The large expansion of antenna development activities seen in the last few years is thus expected to continue.    The new antenna technologies In the past, antennas have had simple coaxial or waveguide connections to the radio equipment, with the exception of large and very expensive military radars. The emerging technology contains:     The emerging technology contains: 1) active antennas, i.e. array antennas with amplifiers connected to each radiator; 2) integrated antennas, i.e. the active circuits are directly integrated in the radiator; 3) adaptive antennas, i.e. antennas that can change their antenna pattern adaptively; 4) diversity, i.e. the antenna can produce two or more independent links; 5) digital beamforming, i.e. the signals to/from each element are digitised before combination.   This increasing antenna capability is a necessary response to the greater demands of the user and the increasing congestion of the frequency spectrum. Whilst active microwave circuits and digital hardware become cheaper and thus a smaller proportion of the equipment cost, the new, more capable antennas are of increasing value, due to the fact that more of the system performance is determined by the antenna.    The present structure of antenna research in Europe European Universities produce much excellent antenna research, and the technical and theoretical level is comparable to that in USA. However, the work is split between many relatively small institutions with limited co-operation. Also the collaboration with industry and the users is, in many cases, inadequate. The result is research duplication, results without applications, and a less than optimum output.    In the USA, the institutions are larger, and they are connected in networks fostered by the defence authorities and NASA. This gives more relevant research and higher outputs. Similar defence and space structures exist in Europe. In space research, ESA plays a vital role. Due to the increased competition, the ESA supported research is now less open, and therefore the research co-ordination less efficient. On the defence side, the level of research is much smaller than in USA, and it is split between the countries. The existing co-operations are therefore limited.   The restructuring of European industries has led to more specialised companies. To some extent, universities have followed this. The advantage is that the research becomes more application driven, but the traditional strong electromagnetic cross coupling between applications is lost.   Due to the history of antenna research, the excellent research centres do not geographically coincide with strong industries. This has been acceptable when the antennas were separate items with well-defined interfaces. Now, when the antenna function is closely integrated with the system, the relationships with users and industry become crucial and must be reinforced.    Key technologies for Antenna design Antenna design and analysis are very software dependent. Most universities develop their own software, but they have neither the resources nor the interest in documentation and verification to make these programs useful for other researchers or for industry. Industry and research organisations need efficient software, and to redevelop existing routines takes a lot of resources that could be used more efficiently. The area is developing fast, and difficult to enter for individual institutions. There is a need for general-purpose run time intensive software, which can analyse most problems. There is also a need for fast, specialised software, optimised for certain structures, so that many different routines are needed for different applications. Possession of efficient software gives a very strong competitive advantage, both for industry and for universities. Combination of software requires standardized interfaces, which are not available.   Measurement and Testing of antennas is essential for antenna design but is very demanding, due to their 3-dimensional nature. Good measurement facilities require large investments. Verification is difficult, especially for modern equipment, which is completely computer controlled. In many applications, the uncertainties in the antenna measurements are the largest uncertainty in the link budgets. There is a need for optimising the use of the existent measurement facilities, by sharing procedures and expertise, for instance.    Subject of the NoE ACE deals with the antenna function of radio systems. This includes the electromagnetic interface from conductors to free space radiated waves, the beam-forming functions, whether they are analogue or digital, adaptive systems to change the beam pattern, and other antenna-related signal processing. The radiative coupling to the close surroundings and to a scattering environment, are also included in ACE.    ACE does not deal with the details of amplifiers, converters or digital circuitry, although these components are part of the antenna system, and dealt with at the antenna system level. Also, it does not deal directly with the information content in the radiation, such as modulation or coding. Other system aspects are dealt with as needed, e.g. for optimisation of MIMO systems.    Objectives of the NoE The objectives for ACE in 2006-2007 (ACE-2) are to extend and complete the structuring effort started in 2004-2005 (in ACE-1, FP6-IST Contract No. 508009) by tackling the fragmented European antenna R&D, reducing duplications and boosting excellence and competitiveness in key areas.   ACE Network was originally proposed for four years and, while much of the work planned for the four-year period has been started or will have been started at the end of 2005, the first two year demonstrated that a durable integration needs two more years. On a more detailed level, the objectives have been refined due to the experience from ACE-1. The main purpose of the NoE is to increase the efficiency and relevance of antenna research in Europe. This can only be obtained through inter-European structures, since the countries are too small to do it alone.  
Short description of the task performed by Croatian partner
Research interest of Croatian partner in ACE Network of Excellence: • microwave antennas (in particular conformal antennas, active antennas, microstrip antennas, waveguide antennas, lens antennas) • numerical methods (in particular method of moments, analysis of multilayer and periodic structures, analysis of conformal antennas) • electromagnetic field theory (in particular development of new periodic structures and left-handed materials) Topics where Croatian partner can contribute to the ACE Network of Excellence: • Antenna software tools (WP 1.1.1 and WP 1.1.2; the spherical patch array, developed at Chalmers and Zagreb Universities, is already included as a benchmarking structure; the software package G1DMULT, developed at Chalmers and Zagreb Universities, is included in software list). • Conformal antennas (WP 2.4-3; part of work is already included in this work project since it is done through co-operation between Chalmers and Zagreb Universities). • Curved frequency selective surfaces (WP 2.3-2; part of work is included in proposal for new ACE project since it will be done through co-operation between Siena and Zagreb Universities). • Asymptotic boundary conditions for different periodic structures (WP 2.3-2; part of work is already included in this work project since it is done through the co-operation between Chalmers and Zagreb Universities). • New periodic structures (this activity suits well to WP 2.3-2) • Active and smart antennas (this activity suits well to WP 2.2) • Participation in European School of Antennas (WP 3.1)  


   

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