A 2.4 GHz active phase shifter architecture for smart antennas control

This paper aims at developing the bases of a smart radio-communication prototype, able to modify the radiation patterns, both on emission and reception, according to the needs of the communication. Smart antenna is a well-known concept, allowing to increase the quality of the transmission and spectral efficiency. To control the radiation patterns, algorithms used in smart antenna techniques require precise amplitudes and phases generation. In this paper, vector modulators working as active phase shifters will be used in order to synthesize such amplitudes and phases. A theoretical analysis will be performed in order to quantify the impact of vector modulators mismatches on the synthesized amplitudes and phases. Furthermore, measurements of radiation patterns generated by a prototype at 2.4 GHz will be presented.