Performance analysis of a reconfigurable antenna system for MIMO communications

In this paper an adaptive antenna system that allows for dynamic changes in the array radiation pattern while providing full elevation and azimuth coverage is presented. The antenna system is used at the transmitter of a 2×2 MIMO system to demonstrate the gain achievable with respect to 3×2 and 4×2 MIMO systems that do not employ reconfigurable antennas. Results show an improvement in throughput of up to 5 times with respect to standard 3×2 MIMO systems that employ spatial multiplexing and antenna selection and up to 50% with respect to a 4×2 MIMO system that employ spatial multiplexing and digital beamforming.