No abstract

Due to the rapid development of wireless communication technologies, the number of wireless users are radically increasing. Currently, ∼23 billion wireless devices are connected to the internet, and these numbers are expected to increase manifolds in the years to come. The technology growth of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless systems will be needed to meet this high demand of the network. 5G wireless systems offer data-rates of up to 10Gbps, 1-ms latency, and reduced power consumption. It is a known fact that 5G wireless systems will be exploiting beyond the presently used 3 GHz microwave and millimetre-wave (mm-wave) frequency bands. This is the primary driver in the development of the 5G wireless system. Multi-beam Phased array antenna (PAA) systems are typically used in the deployment of 5G systems for high-gain and directionality. In current 5G and future Beyond 5G (B5G) antenna array systems, beamforming networks (BFNs) such as the Butler Matrix (BM) will play a key role in achieving multi-beam characteristics. So, this paper presents an extensive review of the BM based BFNs, and discusses which type of BM will be suitable for the phased array antenna (PAA) systems in the upcoming 5G and next-generation of B5G wireless systems. Moreover, this paper also summarizes the different types of BM designs based on the number of layers. The BMs are classified into the bi-layer, tri-layer, and four-layer structures. It includes different techniques that have been used to solve the problem of crossing, narrow bandwidth, and size reduction of the BM. From the previous studies, it is found that most of the past research work was performed using the bi-layer BM system, whereas the difficult geometries like tri-and four-layer BM are avoided due to their complex fabrication process. It is also found in this paper that the metamaterial (MTM) based bi-layer BM achieves low insertion-loss and phase-error, excellent bandwidth and compact size, and good S-parameter performance, which makes them an ideal BFN candidate for the upcoming 5G and next-generation B5G systems.INDEX TERMS Butler matrix (BM), metamaterial (MTM), 5G, beyond 5G (B5G), beamforming network (BFN), phased array antenna (PAA) systems.

Abstract-A multiband Fractal Koch dipole textile antenna is proposed for wearable applications. The antenna is designed to operate at 0.9 GHz, 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz. Denim materials as the substrate are selected aiming to obtain robustness, flexibility and a lightweight textile antenna. The antenna model is designed, simulated, optimized and analyzed using Microwave Studio CST software. Two types of multiband antenna prototypes are fabricated and evaluated with different conducting elements (Shield It fabric and copper foil tape). Antenna performance is observed in terms of return loss, bandwidth, radiation pattern and realized gain. Three different comprehensive analyses are taken into consideration: measurement antenna with different bending sizes, on-body measurement and under wet conditions. The antenna performances are evaluated based on resonant frequency (f o ) and bandwidth (BW). The antennas performance with bending on the human body (arm & forearm) is compared and investigated. A suitable placement on the body has been discovered between the chest and backside. The antennas have also been tested under wet conditions to ensure a stable characteristic under the influence of water.

Plants, flowers and crops are living things around us that makes our earth more productive and beautiful. In order to growth healthy, they need water, light and nutrition from the soil in order to effect cleaning air naturally and produce oxygen to the world. Therefore, a technology that manage to brilliantly control plants watering rate according to its soil moisture and user requirement is proposed in this paper. The developed system included an Internet of Things (IoT) in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) environment where it manages and monitors the irrigation system either manually or automatically, depending on the user requirement. This proposed system applied Arduino technology and NRF24L01 as the microprocessor and transceiver for the communication channel, respectively. Smart agriculture and smart lifestyle can be developed by implementing this technology for the future work. It will save the budget for hiring employees and prevent from water wastage in daily necessities.

Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) is a type of implemented metamaterial in several antennae and microwave design applications. By utilizing the unique characteristics of metamaterials which do not exist naturally, the performance of various microwave devices can be enhanced. This article elaborates on the technical perspective and recent works on AMC for antenna applications. The technical perspective discusses the theoretical aspects, simulation design procedures, and the measurement setup used to characterize the AMC unit cell. Subsequently, various recent works of antenna design that involve the incorporation of AMC are discussed thoroughly. Each of the recent works is highlighted with specific performance enhancements that can be achieved with the introduction of AMC. The conventionally narrow band property of AMC, which is the bandwidth at which the radiation characteristics and directivity of the antenna can be manipulated, is discussed. The property limits the applications of AMC in wideband antenna applications. One of the techniques to improve the narrow band AMC as the ground plane is discussed in detail. The employment of AMC has solved many issues whilst overcoming the typical limitations in conventional antenna designs. K E Y W O R D S artificial magnetic conductor, high impedance surface, metamaterial, reflection phase Int J RF Microw Comput Aided Eng. 2017;27:e21105.