Antenna and Mechanical Co-Design for Auto-Beam-Tracking in Backhaul Systems

This paper addresses the electrical-mechanical co-design challenges of beam alignment in ultra-high-gain antennas due to mast sway by adopting a defocusing strategy for the reflector antenna feed in order to meet the requirements of 5G mm Wave backhaul communication systems. Three automatic beam tracking methods have been investigated and evaluated: a sensor-motor-based control method, a gear-driven compensation method by using a secondary mast as a reference, and a gravity-driven pendulum method that leverages gravitational force as the reference. Detailed description of the integrated design approach combining both antenna design and mechanical structure is given in the paper, providing potential platform for further improved system developments.