Capacity enhancement of 2×2 MIMO system using pattern reconfigurable antennas

The capacity enhancement of a multiple-input-multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system using pattern reconfigurable antennas is investigated. In the study, pattern reconfigurable U-slot antennas are incorporated in a 2×2 MIMO-OFDM demonstrator and the channel measurements are conducted in both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) indoor environments. Capacities of the system with pattern reconfigurable and omnidirectional antennas are compared. Measured results show that the pattern reconfigurable antennas can enhance the system capacity, with 17% improvement in the LOS scenario and 12% in the NLOS scenario at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 10 dB, with respect to the reference omnidirectional antennas.