Antenna

Model antenna or antenna array accounting for incident power wave (RX) and radiated power wave (TX)

Since R2020b

• 

Libraries:
RF Blockset / Circuit Envelope / Elements

Description

Model an antenna or antenna array using the Antenna block. Use this block to:

• Convert a Simulink^® input of an incident power wave vector into RF Blockset™ voltage signal at the antenna or antenna array ports.

• Convert current at RF Blockset antenna or antenna array ports to a Simulink output of a radiated power wave vector.

• Introduce antenna impedance into an RF system.

By default, the antenna block is an isotropic radiator producing a Simulink output signal. For an isotropic radiator, specify the gain and impedance of the antenna in the block parameters. The Radiated carrier frequencies parameter is a set of carrier frequencies over-which the Antenna block creates the radiated power wave. For more information, see Radiated Wave and Incident Wave.

The Antenna block mask icons are dynamic: The icons show the current state of the noise parameter, indicate if you have specified an antennaarray object in the Antenna object parameter, and update the number of ports based on the number of elements in the antennaarray object. This table shows how the block icons vary based on the state of the Simulate noise and Antenna object parameters.

Antenna object	Simulate noise: on	Simulate noise: off
Antenna Catalog Objects
Antenna Array Catalog Objects

Examples

Simulation of RF Systems with Antenna Blocks

Use the Antenna block to incorporate the effect of an antenna into an RF simulation. In this model, a single tone is fed to the transmitter and the power of the received signal at the output of the receiver is calculated.

Set the Antenna_TX and Antenna_RX blocks to be isotropic radiators with the following parameters:

The following values are set upon loading the model:

• R = 100 [m]

• FreqCarrier = 5.0 [GHz]

• Gt = Gr = 7.9988 [dBi]

• Zin_t = Zin_r = 56.2947 - 4.2629i [Ohm]

where the antenna gains and impedances were calculated beforehand from dipoles backed by circular reflectors.

With Antenna Toolbox™, it is possible to design the antenna using the Antenna Designer app invoked directly from the block. To do so, change the choice of Source of the antenna model to Antenna Designer and press the Create antenna button. Within the Antenna Designer app, create a new antenna, choose Dipole from the Antenna Gallery , Circular from the Backing Structure Gallery in the app toolstrip and select Accept. Note that the design frequency was prepopulated with the RF system frequency of 5 GHz.

Select the Impedance button in the app toolstrip to analyze the structure and select the Update Block button to update the block with the chosen antenna. Note that the Antenna block requires that the designed antenna be analyzed for at least one frequency in the Antenna Designer app before updating and using it in the block.

In the Antenna_TX block mask parameter dialog box, change the default Direction of departure to 0 degrees in azimuth and 90 degrees in elevation:

Repeat the above steps to design Antenna_RX. However, the receiving antenna needs to be rotated to face the transmitting antenna. To do so, in the Antenna Properties panel of the Antenna Designer app, set Tilt to 180 degrees. Again, select the Impedance button and then press the Update Block button to update the block. In the Antenna_RX block mask parameter dialog box, change the Direction of arrival to 180 degrees in azimuth and -90 degrees in elevation. – 90-degree elevation is chosen since the radiated signal that was transmitted in the positive z direction in the coordinate system of the transmitter, is now arriving from the negative z direction in the coordinate system of the receiver. Azimuth is set to 180 degrees to align vector fields of the transmitter and receiver antennas.

Run the model again, and note that the output power remained almost exactly the same. This is since the original gain and impedance values used for the isotropically radiating antenna in the beginning were calculated from the same antennas and spatial settings. However, it is now possible to change the antenna properties and observe the effect on the output power in the model. For example: Select the 'Edit Antenna' button in the Antenna_TX block mask parameter dialog box to reopen the Antenna Designer app. In the Antenna Properties panel of the Antenna Designer app, change Tilt to 30 degrees and the TiltAxis to [0 1 0]. Select the Impedance button and then press the Update Block button to update the block. Rerun the model to observe reduction of 2.5 dB in the output received power due to the mismatch in antenna orientation.

Use Measured Antenna Object in Antenna Block

Since R2023b

This example shows how to use measuredAntenna object in the Antenna block to model a measured antenna or array characterized by means of its S-parameters and frequency dependent far-field radiation pattern including both polarization components. The measuredAntenna object lets you replace the physical antennas from the antenna catalog with measured field data of the antenna. This example extracts data from a linear array to create a measuredAntenna object using hcreate_mAnt helper function.

System Configuration

Define the carrier frequency in Hz and set it in these parameters:

• Radiated carrier frequency parameter in the Transmit Antenna block

• Incident carrier frequency parameter in the Receiver Antenna block

• Carrier frequencies parameter in the Inport and Outport blocks

FreqCarrier = 5e9;

Define gain for the Gain block. This Gain block acts as a free-space path-loss channel.

lambdaCarrier = physconst('lightspeed')/FreqCarrier; %[m]

Define the input impedance of the low noise amplifier (LNA) in ohms.

Zin_r =71.3819 - 1j*2.1795;

Define the available input power in dBm for the two RF transmitter chains and assign the variables to Pin 1 and Pin 2 in the Constant block.

Pin1 = -30;
Pin2 = -30;

Create a linear antenna array and extract data from it to create a measuredAntenna object. The data extracted from the linear array is a substitute of real-world measured data that can be inputted by changing the hcreate_mAnt helper function so as to read the embedded electric fields from data file.

dist = lambdaCarrier*0.5;
d1 = design(dipole,FreqCarrier);
antElems = [d1 copy(d1)];
la = linearArray('Element',antElems,'ElementSpacing',dist);
la.TiltAxis = [0 1 0];
la.Tilt = 90;
freqRange = (4.5:0.05:5.5)*1e9;
[mAnt,R] = hcreate_mAnt(la,freqRange);

Compute impedances in ohms for PA and PA1 Amplifier blocks in the transmitter.

z = impedance(la,freqRange);
z = z(freqRange==FreqCarrier,:);
Zin_t1 = z(1);
Zin_t2 = z(2);

Simulate Model

Open and simulate the measuredAnt.slx model. Observe the output power at the receiver.

open_system("measuredAnt.slx")
sim("measuredAnt.slx");

Extended Examples

Model RF Systems with Antenna Arrays Using RF Blockset Antenna Block

Use the Antenna block to design antenna arrays for an RF system.

• Open Script

Ports

Input

RX — Received signal

scalar | vector | matrix | m-by-n-by-k array

Received signal, specified as a scalar, vector, matrix, or an array of size m-by-n-by-k. In the array:

• m — Represents the frame size

• n — Represents the number of interferers

• k — Represents horizontal or vertical polarization. The value of the k must be 2.

Data Types: double

Output

TX — Transmitted signal

scalar | vector | matrix | m-by-n-by-k array

Transmitted signal, specified as a scalar, vector, matrix, or an array of size m-by-n-by-k. IN the array:

• m — Represents the frame size

• n — Represents the number of interferers

• k — Represents horizontal or vertical polarization. The value of the k must be 2.

Data Types: double

Parameters

Main

Source of antenna model — Antenna model

Isotropic radiator (default) | Antenna Designer | Antenna object

Antenna model, specified as one of the following:

• Isotropic radiator

• Antenna Designer

• Antenna object

Note

• To use Antenna Designer and Antenna object options you will need Antenna Toolbox™.

• Antenna block supports model protection and accelerator modes. When Source of antenna model is set to:

  • Isotropic radiator — Accelerator mode is supported.

  • Antenna Designer or Antenna object — Accelerator mode, rapid accelerator mode, model reference accelerator mode, and model protection are supported.

  For more information, see Enable Model Protection and Accelerator Modes in RF Blockset Models. (since R2024b)

Create Antenna — Open Antenna Toolbox Antenna Designer app

button

Open the Antenna Designer app from the Antenna Toolbox to create an antenna.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set the Source of antenna model to Antenna Designer.

Antenna object — Antenna or array element input from workspace

antenna catalog object | antenna array catalog object | measuredAntenna object | pcbstack object

Antenna or array element input from the workspace, specified as one of these objects:

• Antenna catalog — Use any one of the antenna objects from the Antenna Catalog (Antenna Toolbox).

• Array catalog — Use any one of the array objects from the Array Catalog (Antenna Toolbox). You can specify an array with a maximum of 65 ports.

• Measured antenna — Use measuredAntenna object to model a measured antenna or array characterized by its S-parameters and frequency-dependent far-field radiation pattern that includes both the polarization components. You can model an array with a maximum of 65 ports. (since R2023b)

• PCB stack — Use pcbStack (Antenna Toolbox) object to model a single-feed or multifeed PCB antenna.

Note

Analyze the antenna, array, or PCB stack objects in the workspace for at least one frequency before using them in the block.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Source of antenna model to Antenna object.

Antenna Gain — Antenna gain

0 dBi (default) | real scalar or vector | positive scalar or vector

Antenna gain, specified as real scalar or vector if you set units to dBi or positive scalar or vector if you set units are None. If the antenna gain is a vector, the vector length must be equal to the vector length of Incident carrier frequencies and Radiated carrier frequencies.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Source of antenna model to Isotropic radiator and check Input incident wave or Output radiated wave or both

Impedance (Ohm) — Input impedance

50 (default) | complex-valued scalar or vector

Input impedance, specified as a complex-valued scalar or vector in ohms. If the impedance is a vector, the vector length must be equal to the length of Incident carrier frequencies and Radiated carrier frequencies.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Source of antenna model to Isotropic radiator.

Data Types: double
Complex Number Support: Yes

Input incident wave — Input incident wave for simulating receiving antenna

'off' (default) | 'on'

Select this parameter if you want to simulate a receiving antenna.

Output radiated wave — Output radiated wave for transmitting antenna

'on' (default) | 'off'

Select this parameter if you want a simulate a transmitting antenna.

Incident carrier frequencies — Carrier frequencies for receiving signal

2.1 GHz (default) | nonnegative scalar or row vector

Carrier frequencies for a receiving signal, specified as a nonnegative scalar in hertz or a row vector with each element unit in hertz. If the value of Antenna gain or Impedance is a vector, then the values of Incident carrier frequencies and Radiated carrier frequencies must be identical.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Input incident wave.

Radiated carrier frequencies — Carrier frequencies for transmitting signal

2.1 GHz (default) | nonnegative scalar or row vector

Carrier frequencies for a transmitting signal, specified as a nonnegative scalar in hertz or a row vector with each element unit in hertz. If the value of Antenna gain or Impedance is a vector, then the values of Incident carrier frequencies and Radiated carrier frequencies must be identical.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, select Output radiated wave.

Direction of departure — Azimuth and elevation angles towards which output signal power wave radiates

[0 0] deg (default) | finite real row vector of length 1-by-2 | finite real matrix of length m-by-2

Azimuth and elevation angles towards which the output signal power wave radiates, specified as a finite real row vector of length 1-by-2 or finite real matrix of length m-by-2 (since R2023a) with each element unit in degrees or radians. m is an integer between in the range [2, 100].

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Source of antenna model to Antenna Designer or Antenna object and select Output radiated wave.

Direction of arrival — Azimuth and elevation angles from which input signal power wave arrives

[180 0] deg (default) | finite real row vector of length 1-by-2 | finite real matrix of length m-by-2

Azimuth and elevation angles towards which the input signal power wave arrives, specified as a finite real row vector of length 1-by-2 or finite real matrix of length m-by-2 (since R2023a) with each element unit in degrees or radians. m is an integer between in the range [2, 100].

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Source of antenna model to Antenna Designer or Antenna object and select Input incident wave.

Simulate noise — Simulate thermal noise

'on' (default) | 'off'

Select this parameter to simulate thermal noise in the antenna due to the real part of the impedance see at the antenna terminals. You must select Simulate noise in the Configuration block also.

Ground and hide negative terminals — Ground RF circuit terminals

'on' (default) | 'off'

Select this option to ground and hide the negative terminals. Clear this parameter to expose the negative terminals. By exposing these terminals, you can connect them to other parts of your model.

Modeling

Modeling options — Model frequency-dependent antenna parameters

Time domain (default) | Frequency domain

Model frequency-dependent antenna parameters, specified as:

• Time domain — This technique creates an analytical rational model that approximates the whole range of the data.

• Frequency domain — This technique computes the baseband impulse response for each carrier frequency independently. This technique is based on convolution. There is an option to specify the duration of the impulse response. For more information, see Compare Time and Frequency Domain Simulation Options for S-parameters.

The frequency-dependent parameters are:

• Antenna impedance — The input impedance at the antenna terminals. This is used in RF system simulation.

• Normalized vector effective length — A property used that ties between the current flowing at the antenna terminals and the radiated far-field at a given direction. Due to reciprocity, the effective length also ties between the incident field and the induced open-circuit voltage on the antenna terminals.

Dependencies

To set source Source of antenna model of Antenna Designer or Antenna object to activate the Modeling Tab that contains the Modeling options parameters.

Relative error desired (dB) — Relative error acceptable for the rational fit

-40 (default) | scalar

Relative error acceptable for the rational fit, specified as a scalar. Applies to time domain modeling of both antenna impedance and normalized vector effective length. The corresponding rational fitting results for each property are displayed on the block mask.

Dependencies

To enable this property, set Modeling options to Time domain.

Automatically estimate impulse response duration — Automatically calculate impulse response

'on' | 'off'

Select this parameter to automatically calculate the impulse response duration. Clear this parameter to manually specify the impulse response duration using Impulse response duration. Applies to frequency-domain modeling of both antenna impedance and normalized vector effective length.

Dependencies

To set this parameter, set Modeling options to Frequency domain.

Impulse response duration — Impulse response duration

1e-10s (default) | scalar

Impulse response duration, specified as a scalar. Applies to frequency-domain modeling of both antenna impedance and normalized vector effective length.

Dependencies

To set this parameter, first select Frequency domain in Modeling options. Then, clear Automatically estimate impulse response duration.

More About

Radiated Wave

The antenna block produces a Simulink signal representing a normalized power wave similar to power waves in circuits. Since an antenna radiates two independent field components in the far field, the signal is extended into the third dimension:

$$\begin{array}{l}TX\left(:,:,1\right)=T{X}_{\theta }=\frac{E_{\theta }}{\sqrt{{\eta }_0}}·\sqrt{4\pi }·R·e^{\gamma R}\\ TX\left(:,:,2\right)=T{X}_{\phi }=\frac{E_{\varphi }}{\sqrt{{\eta }_0}}·\sqrt{4\pi }·R·e^{\gamma R}\end{array}$$

where

• Eθ and Eφ are the electric field components radiated from the antenna and measured at a far-field location in the direction of departure.

• η0 is the free-space intrinsic impedance

• R is the distance to the far-field measurement location.

• $$\gamma =\frac{j\omega }{c}$$ where ω is the angular frequency and c is the speed of light in free space.

The above definition makes the transmit (TX) signal independent of the distance R. The total power carried by this normalized radiated power wave is the equivalent isotropically radiated power wave (EIRP) of the transmitter in the direction of departure:

$${\Vert TX\Vert }^2={\left|T{X}_{\theta }\right|}^2+{\left|T{X}_{\varphi }\right|}^2=EIRP=P_t{G}_t$$

where total

• Pt is the input power at the antenna terminals

• Gt is transmitter antenna gain at the direction of departure.

The EIRP is a commonly used concept in communication systems. This value represents the amount of power radiated from an isotropic antenna such that the same power density is obtained in the direction of departure.

In case of an isotropic radiator, you resolve the ambiguity in polarization by assuming that the antenna is radiating a single field component. You also assume that this field component is always aligned for full reception by a receiving antenna. Thus, the TX signal and the expected RX in a receiving antenna is two dimensional. Following the above definitions, the transmit signal for an isotropic radiator is:

$$TX(:,:)=\sqrt{G_t{R}_e\left\{Z_{in}\right\}}.I_{in}$$

where:

• Zin is the input impedance of the antenna.

• Iin is the current at antenna terminals.

In all definitions of TX, the array elements are arranged in the first two dimensions in a manner similar to the of the output signal of an RF Blockset Outport block. If the signal is framed, the column size corresponds to the number of frame bits and the row size corresponds to the number of carrier frequencies. If the signal is not framed, then the column size corresponds to the number of carrier frequencies and the row size is one.

Effect of Free Space Channel

The effect of free space channel between the antennas is not captured by antenna block. You can model it externally using Simulink blocks. For a free-space channel the effect is given by the transfer function:

$$pl=\frac{\lambda }{4\pi R}·e^{-\gamma R}$$

where

• λ is the wavelength modeled outside the antenna.

• R is the distance between the antennas

• Exponential term at the end of the equation represents the time delay occurring over the distance R.

• pl is free-space path loss.

You can model a free-space channel using the Communications Toolbox™ Free Space Path Loss (Communications Toolbox). The effect of the power wave is described using the Friis equation. The Free Space Path Loss block operates for a single carrier frequency and is narrow band. For multiple carriers with narrow bands, the signal must be split and passed through multiple Free Space Path Loss blocks. with carrier frequencies specified in the Antenna block. When the Antenna blocks are not isotropic radiators, the output signal is a 3D array and needs to be split and reshaped before being send to the Free Space Path Loss

Incident Wave

The antenna block can also accept a Simulink signal representing a normalized incident power wave. Since an antenna also receives two independent field components, the signal is extended in the third dimension:

$$\begin{array}{l}RX(:,:,1)=R{X}_{\theta }=T{X}_{\theta }·pl=\frac{E_{\theta }}{\sqrt{{\eta }_0}}·\frac{\lambda }{\sqrt{4\pi }}\\ RX(:,:,2)=R{X}_{\varphi }=T{X}_{\varphi }·pl=\frac{E_{\varphi }}{\sqrt{{\eta }_0}}·\frac{\lambda }{\sqrt{4\pi }}\end{array}$$

where

• TXθ and TXφ are signals from transmitting antenna.

• pl free-space channel transfer function.

• Eθ and Eφ are the electrical field components measured from transmitting antenna.

• η0 is the free-space intrinsic impedance.

• λ is the wavelength.

• RX is the incident power wave normalized such that is the power received by the isotropic antenna.

Using the above equations, the total power carried by the normalized incident power wave, $${\Vert RX\Vert }^2={\left|R{X}_{\theta }\right|}^2+{\left|R{X}_{\varphi }\right|}^2$$ is available power received by ideal isotropic receiving antenna. The available power received by a true antenna is:

$$P_r={\Vert RX\Vert }^2{G}_r$$

where Gr is the receiver antenna gain at the direction of arrival.

In case the receiving antenna is an isotropic radiator, you can resolve the ambiguity in polarization by assuming that the antenna is receiving a single field component that it is aligned for full reception. Thus, the RX signal is expected to be two dimensional. In all definitions of the RX signal, the array elements are arranged in the first two dimensions in a manner similar to that of the input signal of an RF Blockset Inport block.

References

[1] Stutzman, Warren L., and Gary A. Thiele. Antenna Theory and Design. 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2013

[2] Farr, Everett G. “Characterizing Antennas in the Time and Frequency Domains [Education Corner].” IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine 60, no. 1 (February 2018): 106–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/MAP.2017.2774200.

Version History

Introduced in R2020b

R2024b: Time domain (rationalfit) parameter renamed

The Time domain (rationalfit) parameter value in the Modeling options parameter has been renamed to Time domain in the Antenna block.

When you open a model created before R2024b containing an Antenna block, the parameter name displays as Time domain.

R2024b: Enable model protection and accelerator modes in Antenna block

The Antenna block now supports these features:

• Model protection: Conceal the contents of your model by creating a protected model in the SLXP file format.

• Rapid accelerator and model reference accelerator simulation modes: These accelerator modes enhance simulation speed by generating an executable for your model. The degree of speedup varies based on the model.

Note

The Antenna block only supports model protection and accelerator modes when the Source of antenna model parameter is set to Antenna Designer or Antenna object.

R2023b: Model antenna using measuredAntenna object

The Antenna block in the Circuit Envelope library now supports the measuredAntenna object. Specify this object to model a measured antenna or array characterized by its S-parameters and frequency-dependent far-field radiation pattern that includes both the polarization components.

R2023a: Multiple directions of arrival and departure in Antenna block

You can now use the Antenna block to transmit and receive signals in multiple directions using the Direction of arrival and Direction of departure properties.

R2022a: Model transmit and receive antenna array

To model a transmit and receive antenna, specify an antenna array from the Array Catalog (Antenna Toolbox) in the Antenna object parameter.

R2021b: Antenna block icon updated

The Antenna block icon was updated in R2021b. The block icon is now dynamic and shows the current state of the noise parameter.

When you open a model created before R2021b containing an Antenna block, the software replaces the block icon with the R2021b version.