Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre

Adam Narbudowicz, Dr. Xiulong Bao and Professor Max Ammann of the Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre took the postgraduate/staff prize in the DIT Inventor Competition 2012 for their Omni-Directional CP Antenna project. The award was presented by Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock.
The antenna can be used in WLAN routers and access points and means multiple antennas can be reduced to one. Its circular polarisation means devices can receive or transmit strong signals at any angle. This will improve connection quality and reduce distortion or streaming delays that occur when watching video on a poorly performing radio link. The antenna is also ideal for large spaces such as airport halls as its improved performance will reduce the number of access points needed to eliminate deadspots.

Read More: Minister for Research and Innovation Announces Winners of DIT Inventor Competition 2012 [dit.ie]

AHFR are hosting a week long course on Antenna Design & Technology as part of the Telecommunications Graduate Initiative. Places are still available for students or interested parties from industry.

Antenna Design & Technology (course code NIMT 1001) 5 ECTS credits.
Dublin Institute of Technology, Kevin St, Room 403
Monday 18th June to Friday 22nd June
Course Tutor Dr Steven Best

This module is an introduction to modern Antennas – Design and Technology. The aim of this module is to provide a broad understanding of antenna theory, design and practice with respect to real world wireless communications systems and devices and to understand the building blocks and design process for fundamental antenna elements. On completion of this module, the learner will be able to:

• Describe fundamental and advanced concepts associated with antenna design, performance and operation within real world environments
• Identify a broad spectrum of antenna types used in today’s wireless communications markets
• Evaluate properties of antennas with a detailed knowledge of factual and fundamental antenna theory
• Evaluate advanced performance trade-offs associated with antenna design
• Use advanced electromagnetic simulation software and model a family of antenna types
• Design antenna elements for modern wireless systems
• Discuss the theories associated with the implementation of phased array antenna systems
• Describe how antenna performance and the RF propagation environment impact wireless communication system performance

Antennas Design and Technology Course Schedule [pdf].

Update 15 June 2012: This course is fully booked!

Mr. David Kearney, Dr. Matthias John and Dr. Max Ammann received the CST University Publication Award 2011. The winning paper titled "Miniature Ceramic Dual-PIFA Antenna to Support Band Group 1 UWB Functionality in Mobile Handset" was one of five journal papers chosen by the committee for this years award.
The CST University Publication Award is an annual grant to university institutes and researchers for their work in the application of 3D EM field simulation. The winners are awarded with extensions to their CST STUDIO SUITE [cst.com] installations.
Prerequisites for participation are that the papers are authored or co-authored by university researchers, published either in scientific journals or conference proceedings, and the numerical results are entirely or in part obtained through simulation using CST software products.
For further information please see CST Press Release [cst.com].

Two funded PhD studentships are available at the Dublin Institute of Technology's Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre as part of the Telecommunications Graduate Initiative (TGI).

Student fees are covered by the scholarship for EU students only.

The proposed research themes build upon the team's expertise in the following areas.

• Antennas for on-body/biomedical applications
• Integration of antennas and solar cells

The principle tasks will include the electro-magnetic modelling of antenna structures and environment (on-body/solar cell), prototype manufacture and measurements to validate designs. The facilities are all located in the DIT but collaboration with a European University is envisaged. Interested candidates should hold a first or upper second class honours degree in Electronic Engineering or related discipline. Applicants who hold research masters in the area are welcome. Experience with antenna simulation tools would be advantageous.

Applicants should email a detailed CV to Dr Max Ammann at max.ammann@dit.ie.

Dr. Max Ammann, Dr. Matthias John, Antoine Dumoulin and Dr. Patrick McEvoy have been presented with the 2010 Hothouse Commercialisation Award for licensing an Ultra-wideband antenna design to DecaWave Ltd.

The award was presented by DIT president Prof. Brian Norton at a Hothouse Showcase Event in Croke Park on 2nd February 2011.

Check out DecaWaves RTLS and ranging demo video featuring AHFR UWB antennas below.

more...

The Dublin Institute of Technology has been awarded €424,731 to research body area communications technology in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland.

Dr. Max Ammann, Director of the Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre (AHFR) in the DIT School of Electronic and Communications Engineering, will use the Principal Investigator Grant on advanced computer modelling to implement improved wireless telemetry devices for physiotherapy and sporting applications. The multidisciplinary team includes Dr Frances Horgan and Ms Louise Keating of the School of Physiotherapy at the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland and will employ a senior researcher, a PhD student and an MSc student.

It is hoped that the cooperation will allow the researchers to explore the effects of the body on radio links and to develop new monitoring technology for real-time physiotherapy analysis. The principle tasks will include the electromagnetic modelling of designs and application trials for performance benchmarking in laboratory and clinical settings.

Professor Gerald Farrell, Head of the School of Electronic and Communications Engineering, congratulated Dr. Ammann and said he was absolutely delighted for him and for his research team. “This is a fitting tribute to the outstanding quality of Dr. Ammann’s research and to his hard work in building a fine team of researchers over many years. This multi-disciplinary collaboration is an exciting basis for ideas exchange between our institutions.”

The Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre (AHFR) specialises in the analysis, design and measurement of RF and microwave devices for wireless communications and medical applications. With more than 12 years of applied research experience and it has built an international reputation for innovative futuristic concepts and solutions to contemporary industrial challenges.

Science Foundation Ireland

National Development Plan

Dr. Max Ammann was awarded two Enterprise Ireland Industrial Technologies Commercialisation Awards for licensing agreements with Taoglas Ltd. and Decawave Ltd.

The award was presented by Jim Lawlor Director, Industrial Technologies Commercialisation, Enterprise Ireland and was accepted on behalf of Dr. Max Ammann by Tom Flanagan, Head of Commercialisation, DIT.
Enterprise Ireland recognised the top ten industrial technologies with awards this week. DIT picked up four of these awards for licensing technologies to companies.

Read More: EI Industrial Technologies Commercialisation Awards 2009 [www.dit.ie]

Dr. Max Ammann, Dr. Matthias John and Dr. Giuseppe Ruvio have been presented with the Hothouse Commercialisation Award for licensing agreements with Taoglas Ltd. The award was presented by Minister of State for Science Conor Lenihan and Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, DIT Director of Research & Enterprise at a DIT Hothouse Showcase Event in Croke Park on November 3rd 2009.

The license agreement covers DIT’s highly efficient antenna solutions for the WiMAx and LTE standards. The FXP100 WiMax and FXP400 and FXP401 LTE antennas are now available from Taoglas.

“With the FXP100 and FXP400, our new ultra wideband antenna series, and the external LTEA.4000 antenna, we are looking to meet future requirements of the LTE and WiMax market by using very efficient antennas based on current M2M market requirements,” said Dermot O’Shea, Director, Taoglas. “For M2M manufacturers designing devices for LTE and WiMax networks, they now have highly efficient antennas to use in their test and proof-of-concept designs.”

Dr Ammann, who leads the research at DIT’s Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre, commented, “Taoglas are an exciting company work with. They have a track record of delivering high performance solutions at affordable price. This allows us to channel our research ideas towards applied solutions required in the market place.”

Read More: Taoglas Launch First LTE Antenna [www.taoglas.com]
Read More: DIT Hothouse Researcher Commercialisation Awards 2009 [update.dit.ie]

Dr Xiulong Bao of the Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre is one of the fifteen inaugural recipients of Science Foundation Ireland’s Starting Investigator Research Grant (SIRG).

Dr Xiulong Bao has been working with Dr Max Ammann on novel techniques to enhance the bandwidth of circularly polarised antennas. His solutions are paving the way for smaller integrated packaging of multiple radio devices. Preliminary results indicate that Dr Bao’s novel methods will support the bandwidth necessary for improved wireless multimedia links.

Announcing the awards, Minister of State for Science Conor Lenihan recognised SFI’s strategic role in developing new academic foundations for the Smart Economy. “These 15 outstanding individuals are among the brightest working in Irish laboratories today, and SIRG provides them with the necessary support to enable the transition from team member to independent and accomplished innovators in their respective fields. It will also allow them recruit 15 postgraduate students”.

The group were selected from over 100 applicants from across the Universities and Technology Institutes. The awardees work in diverse areas such as renewable energy, cancer research, genetics and telecommunications. Professor Frank Gannon, the Director General of SFI, highlighted the relevance of each of the subject areas to solving real and imminent challenges facing society and the economy.

Congratulating him, Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, Director of Research & Enterprise at DIT, commented that “Dr Bao’s research is building upon DIT’s reputation for solving technological challenges through applied research. His patents have become the basis of international industrial collaboration and are helping to sustain innovation in the Irish telecommunications sector.”

Dr Bao joined the DIT’s Antenna & High Frequency Research Centre (AHFR) in 2005 from The Southest University in China. His post-doctoral researcher post was supported by SFI’s acclaimed Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research – a multi-institutional Irish research network on communications engineering. He will continue his research within the AHFR with Dr Ammann as his mentor and he will employ a PhD student as part of the €484,450 research programme.