Nature-Inspired Optimization Techniques in Communication Antenna Designs

This paper summarizes the primary features inherent in current optimization methods typically applied to antenna designs and demonstrates their effectiveness by applying particle swarm optimization (PSO), a nature-inspired global optimization technique, to novel antenna design solutions in wireless communications. The concept of the PSO technique is briefly introduced and an outline of the important parameters that are utilized is summarized. Next, an implementation strategy combining PSO with numerical algorithms for electromagnetic solutions, namely the finite element method (FEM) and the method of moments (MoM), is discussed. In both realizations (PSO-FEM and PSO-MoM), the PSO technique drives the design variables, such as the antenna dimensions, geometrical features, etc., and the full-wave electromagnetic analysis engines evaluate the fitness function for the optimizer. Optimized antenna designs including a multiband handset antenna and an E-shaped patch antenna for circularly polarized (CP) applications are presented. Measurement results of prototype optimized designs are shown to demonstrate the functionality and effectiveness of the methodologies presented in this paper.