Abstract: Reconfigurable antennas in an ad-hoc network are provided where all nodes employ MIMO/SIMO/MISO communication techniques. Three types of reconfigurable antennas: Reconfigurable Printed Dipole Array (RPDA), Reconfigurable Circular Patch Antenna (RCPA) and Two-Port Reconfigurable CRLH Leaky Wave Antennas are used. The RPDA, RCPA and the CRLH Leaky Wave antennas have a different number of configurations as well as different degrees of pattern diversity between possible configurations. To effectively use these antennas in a network, the performance of centralized and decentralized antenna configuration selection schemes are quantified for reconfiguration at one or both link ends. The sum capacity of the network is used as a metric to quantify the performance of these antennas in measured and simulated network channels.

Abstract: A magnetic permeability enhanced metamaterial is used to enhance the antenna array of a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication system. A rectangular patch antenna array is formed including a stack of a plurality of unit cells, where each unit cell includes an inductive loop of magnetic permeability enhanced metamaterials embedded in a host dielectric substrate. The use of such metamaterials permits the antenna arrays to be made smaller, and have less mutual coupling, when using a metamaterial substrate. The measured channel capacities of the antenna arrays are similar for the metamaterial and conventional substrates; however, the capacity improvement when using MIMO relative to single antenna communication systems is greater for antennas on metamaterial substrates.