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5G mMIMO beamforming technology explanation

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A. Calculating ULA beamforming gain

To the question what is beamforming, a proper answer might be:

Beamforming is the ability to adapt the radiation pattern of the antenna array to a particular direction.
Following the history of antenna beamforming it has started as an analog tapper solution with phase shifters
(analog tappers), adding also some kind of flexibility with a switching architecture with several phase
shifters, each for a different beam pattern.
To understand beamforming we should first of all understand the technology of Uniform Linear (Dipole)
Array Antennas (ULA), starting from the dipole radiation pattern. One commonly and most often used
antenna type is the half-wavelength dipole (λ/2 dipole antenna element). Solving the Maxwell’s equations
for a radiating half-wavelength wire (dipole) the resulting radiation pattern , known as a “doughnut
shape” diagram.

Figure 1. The “doughnut shape” radiation diagram of a radiating half-wavelength dipole

This radiation diagram shows no preference on the azimuth angle , with a partial directivity on the
3600 elevation angles but not sufficient and satisfactory for a proper highly directive beam-forming
solution.
The radiated energy from the first dipole is calculated as:

The radiated energy from the nth dipole is calculated as:

Where the factor is known as the azimuth-elevation directional radiation factor of the dipole
antenna:

The logical and basic question then is how it is possible for a beam, generated from a dipole radiating
source, to be shaped and beam-formed with different beam-widths and towards different directions?
The most common way for beam shaping is by means of implementing an uniformly spaced by d units
antenna dipole array of dipole length , using a ULA (Uniform Linear Array), most often consisting of
cross-polarized antenna elements based on the dipole’s radiation principles.
Considering in the transmitter side the antenna array is excited by a proper modulated signal source using a
carrier frequency for as the bearer, where each dipole element (i.e. the n th dipole element) is fed with
constant current and radiates equal energy in specific preferred directions on same time instances
(time aligned meaning no phase shifting).

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Figure 2. The ULA antenna dipole array with uniformly spaced dipoles in the vertical direction.

Trying to calculate the aggregated Electric field in the distance point P for N available dipoles in an ULA
array format:

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Figure 3. The aggregated electric field calculation in some point P in space.

Making the well justified assumption of:

The aggregated Electric field in the distance point P is:

Where the factor is a scalar factor representing the ULA Array directional gain
factor. It moreover indicates the far-field difference in phase between two adjacent dipole elements of the
array due to the path (route or distance) wavelength difference towards the angular direction to the point P.

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Figure 4. ULA Array radiation diagram.

Since we have dipoles with the “doughnut shape” diagram the maximum gain occurs in the angular
direction where the phasor component that is (boresight).
Moreover the gain towards angle , calculated out of the directional gain factor could be estimated
as following:

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B. ULA with Fixed beamforming capability direction (fixed Tapper)

In order to manage the direction of a ULA dipole array antenna beam, a clever idea is to start feeding the
signal current to each nth dipole separately with a uniform phase difference .

Then the radiated energy from the first dipole is again calculated as:

And in the time domain the time dependent radiated energy is:

However the instantaneous radiated energy from the nth dipole is calculated as:

And the time dependent radiated energy from the nth dipole is calculated as:

Where the factor is known as the azimuth-elevation directional radiation factor of the dipole
antenna:

Following figure 3, trying to calculate the instantaneous aggregated Electric field in the distance point P for
N available dipoles in an ULA array format:

Where the new factor is again scalar factor representing the ULA Array
directional gain factor NOT in the angular direction but in the angular direction that is concluded as a
combined and configuration. It moreover indicates the far-field difference in phase between two
adjacent dipole elements of the array due to the path (route or distance) wavelength difference towards the
and angular direction to the point P.

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And the time dependent aggregated Electric field in the distance point P for N available dipoles in an ULA
array format:

Where the new factor is again scalar factor representing the

time dependent ULA Array directional gain factor NOT in the angular direction but in the angular
direction that is concluded as a combined and configuration. It moreover indicates the far-field time
dependent difference in phase, due to the time delay term between two adjacent dipole elements of the
array due to the path (route or distance) wavelength difference towards the and angular direction to the
point P.
Since we have dipoles with the “doughnut shape” diagram the instantaneous maximum gain occurs in the
angular direction where the phasor component , in a different
direction from the previous boresight direction , as in figure 5.
Finally the instantaneous gain towards the desired beam-formed angular direction is calculated out of the
directional gain factor could be estimated as following:

Figure 5. Beam-formed ULA Array radiation diagram.

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C. Building a “smart” ULA antenna array with adaptive beamforming functionality

In order to build a smart antenna and manage in an adaptive and dynamic way the direction of a ULA dipole
array antenna beam over time, a clever idea is to start feeding the signal current to each nth
dipole separately with a non-uniform but configurable phase difference

Then the radiated energy from the first dipole is again calculated as:

And in the time domain the time dependent radiated energy is:

However the instantaneous radiated energy from the nth dipole is calculated as:

And the time dependent radiated energy from the nth dipole is calculated as:

Following figure 3, trying to calculate the instantaneous aggregated Electric field in the distance point P for
N available dipoles in an ULA array format:

Where the new factor is again an adjustable

scalar factor representing the ULA Array directional gain factor based on the adaptive beam-former’s
complex weight coefficients NOT in the angular direction but in the angular direction that is
concluded as a combined and configuration. This could be implemented using a mMIMO antenna
configuration known as analog RF Precoder.

moreover indicates the far-field difference in phase between two adjacent dipole elements of the
array due to the path (route or distance) wavelength difference towards the and angular direction to the
point P.

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And the time dependent aggregated Electric field in the distance point P for N available dipoles in an ULA
array format:

Where the new factor is again scalar factor representing the time
dependent ULA Array directional gain factor, based on the time-dependent adaptive beam-former’s complex
weight coefficients . This could be implemented using a mMIMO antenna
configuration known as analog RF Precoder.

Finally the instantaneous gain towards the desired beam-formed angular direction is calculated out of the
directional gain factor could be estimated as following:

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