{"title":"Balanced Microstrip Line with Defected Ground Structure on Thin Flexible Substrate Film","authors":"Akihisa Tsuchiya;Yuya Yamaguchi;Ryosuke Suga;Masahiro Takeda;Eiji Inami;Hideaki Sugama;Osamu Hashimoto","doi":"10.23919/comex.2026XBL0005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2026XBL0005","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, a low-loss balanced microstrip line (MSL) with a defected ground structure (DGS) on a thin, flexible substrate is proposed. This structure consists of a balanced MSL on a <tex>$25{-}mu mathrm{m}$</tex>-thick substrate and a defected structure formed on the ground plane. The measurements revealed that the balanced MSL with a DGS exhibited a transmission loss reduction of 1.5 dB/100mm at 40 GHz and maintained the same far-end crosstalk compared to a conventional balanced MSL fabricated on a <tex>$50{-}mu mathrm{m}$</tex>-thick substrate up to 40 GHz. For the same thickness substrate, the differential insertion loss of the balanced MSL with a DGS achieved an improvement of up to 4.9 dB/100mm relative to the conventional balanced MSL. The findings derived from the measurements confirm the effectiveness of the DGS. The proposed balanced line can use high-speed transmission standards in miniaturized electric devices to increase routing densities.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 5","pages":"138-141"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147808161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Joint Channel Estimation and Power Allocation with Low-Complexity Deep Learning for OFDM Systems in High-Speed Railway Environments","authors":"Aphitchaya Siriwanitpong;Kosuke Sanada;Hiroyuki Hatano;Kazuo Mori;Pisit Boonsrimuang","doi":"10.23919/comex.2026XBL0004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2026XBL0004","url":null,"abstract":"In high-speed railway (HSR) OFDM systems, achieving better channel capacity requires appropriate power allocation based on accurate channel state information (CSI). While existing deep learning based channel estimation and power allocation schemes improve estimation accuracy and then provide better channel capacity, they face two major limitations: (1) high computational complexity due to deep learning neural network operations, and (2) treating channel estimation and power allocation as separate sequential processes, which increases overall computational burden. This letter proposes a low-complexity deep neural network (DNN) that jointly performs channel estimation and power allocation in a single operation. The proposed scheme achieves near-optimal channel capacity while reducing computational complexity compared to existing schemes. Simulation results demonstrate superior performance across various train speeds in terms of bit error rate (BER) and channel capacity.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 5","pages":"142-146"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147808119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dual-Polarized Tapered Slot Antenna for Measurement Probe in Multi-Probe Measurement","authors":"Genki Sato;Koichi Ichige","doi":"10.23919/comex.2026XBL0007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2026XBL0007","url":null,"abstract":"This paper proposes a dual-polarized tapered slot antenna probe for multi-probe near-field over-the-air (OTA) measurements. An elliptical stub is adopted to shorten the offset in a cross-shaped configuration, enabling dual-polarization measurements at the same spatial point without introducing fabrication complexity and performance degradation. The probe integrates measurement circuits for direct voltage-based electric-field detection. Simulation and experimental results confirm low mutual coupling and stable dual-polarized characteristics, demonstrating suitability for efficient near-field OTA testing.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 5","pages":"164-167"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147808145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Method to Estimate Low SNR Regions for Optimal Deployment of UAV Relays in Next-Generation Mobile Communications","authors":"Taiga Shimano;Kazuhiko Fukawa","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0155","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0155","url":null,"abstract":"To optimally deploy relays in millimeter wave mobile communications, this paper proposes to predict received signal power by exploiting information on propagation paths. Within a certain distance from observation points, the proposed scheme is superior in terms of the accuracy to conventional Gaussian process (GP) based prediction, while reducing computational complexity more drastically than ray tracing. The integration of GP into the proposed scheme is also investigated, in which GP is applied to prediction points where the proposed one is ineffective. Computer simulations demonstrate that the integration scheme achieves approximate 2% improvement in the F1 score over GP.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 5","pages":"130-133"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147808108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing CV-QKD Information Reconciliation via Soft-Value Disclosure","authors":"Takumi Kamiya;Hiroyuki Endo;Eiji Okamoto","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0166","url":null,"abstract":"In continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocols, random bit sequences are encoded into quadrature amplitudes of weak coherent light. The homodyne measurement results of the quantum signals are continuous values that can enhance the error-correction efficiency through soft-decision (SD) decoding. However, implementing SD decoding in typical CV-QKD error-correction processes is challenging because the party receiving the quantum signal is not the same as the party performing the error correction. In this letter, we propose a novel method to overcome this limitation by sharing partial information on homodyne measurement results between two parties via an authenticated public channel, thereby enabling SD decoding. Numerical simulations demonstrated that the quantum bit error rate for error-free QKD transmission increased from approximately 1% using conventional methods to 3.5% using the proposed approach.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 5","pages":"118-121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147808155","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Proposal of Maximum Delay Estimation Method for Unidentified Networks by Generating Pseudo-Network","authors":"Ryohei Yamada;Hideaki Kimura;Takashi Nakanishi;Tatsuya Shimada","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0140","url":null,"abstract":"The maximum network delay needs to be estimated for maintaining the stability of delay-sensitive systems, such as remote-control applications. Conventional estimation approaches, including network digital twin technologies, typically rely on complete network configuration information. However, when such information is incomplete or unidentified, these approaches cannot be applied. In this study, we propose a method to estimate the maximum delay by generating a pseudo-network whose delay characteristics closely resemble those of the target network. Candidate networks with different configurations are created, and the pseudo-network is selected by comparing their delay distributions with that of the target network. Experimental results show that a pseudo-network with similar delay characteristics to the target network can be found, even when its configuration differs from that of the target network. This result holds for multiple target networks. These findings support the potential applicability of our pseudo-network-based approach to unidentified networks.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 3","pages":"37-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11359605","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147352552","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tien H. Do;Thang V. Nguyen;Hoang D. Le;Ngoc T. Dang
{"title":"DRL-Based Power Optimization for Hybrid FSO/THz-Enabled UAV Systems Using IR-HARQ","authors":"Tien H. Do;Thang V. Nguyen;Hoang D. Le;Ngoc T. Dang","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0136","url":null,"abstract":"This letter addresses the transmit power minimization challenge in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted hybrid free-space optical (FSO)/terahertz (THz) systems integrated with incremental redundancy hybrid automatic repeat request (IR-HARQ), a cornerstone for 6G's ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). We propose a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-driven framework, leveraging proximal policy optimization (PPO), to adapt power allocation across retransmissions via an agent-learned policy dynamically. This ensures reliable packet delivery under stringent delay bounds while accounting for channel impairments, including atmospheric attenuation, scintillation fading, and beam pointing errors. The system model incorporates SNR-based FSO/THz switching, with FSO as the primary link and THz as backup, evaluated through outage probabilities tailored to IR-HARQ, chase combining HARQ (CC-HARQ), and automatic repeat request (ARQ). Simulations across diverse environmental conditions reveal the proposed DRL-IR-HARQ hybrid achieves up to 0.7 dBm savings over THz-only baselines and conventional HARQ protocols, underscoring its robustness for energy-efficient 6G aerial backhauls and disaster-resilient networks.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 3","pages":"33-36"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11359563","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147352534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design of Unequal Intervals for Split-Step Parabolic Equation and Mirror Kirchhoff Approximation in Three-Dimensional Environment","authors":"Xin Du","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0148","url":null,"abstract":"The split-step parabolic equation (SSPE) and the mirror Kirchhoff approximation (MKA) are fast methods for predicting the shadowing effect at millimeter waves (mmWaves). This letter proposes an algorithm for designing unequal intervals for an arbitrarily shaped scatterer in a three-dimensional (3D) environment, aiming to reduce computational time. The 3D SSPE/MKA with proposed unequal intervals is validated for the scattering problem of a lossy dielectric sphere at mmWaves (40 GHz–100 GHz). The results show that the proposed method achieves good accuracy with a low root-mean-square error of less than 1 dB compared to the exact solution. In addition, the results show that the proposed method out-performs the conventional equal interval in terms of fast calculation speed by approximately 21%–51%.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 3","pages":"42-45"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11359562","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147352543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adaptive Point Cloud Streaming with Color Reduction","authors":"Wataru Ota;Masaki Bandai","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0142","url":null,"abstract":"Point cloud streaming has emerged as an increasingly prominent research topic in recent years. Point clouds enable the generation of highly immersive visual experiences. However, point cloud streaming requires high bandwidth due to its large data size. So under the constrained-bandwidth environment, it is important to reduce the data size of point cloud or conducting adaptive streaming. In this paper, we propose a method to reduce the data size of RGB information and the coordinates of point clouds, and to use these point clouds for adaptive streaming. We implement the proposed method in real-world system and evaluate its performance in terms of processing time, communication bitrate, and visual quality.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 3","pages":"59-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11359565","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147352573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Validation of a Low-Permittivity PCB Substrate for Compact 28-GHz Phased Array Antennas","authors":"Carrel da Gomez;Weichu Chen;Dongwon You;Xi Fu;Ibrahim Abdo;Shimpei Yakuwa;Naoki Nagaoka;Yasuto Ishimaru;Atsushi Shirane;Kenichi Okada","doi":"10.23919/comex.2025XBL0158","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.23919/comex.2025XBL0158","url":null,"abstract":"This letter presents the validation of a low-permittivity <tex>$(varepsilon_{r}= 1.88)$</tex> PCB substrate for compact, 28-GHz phased-array antennas. A grounded-coplanar-waveguide (CPWG) feed and a three-layer stack-up were verified using a TRL calibration board, confirming stable performance up to 60 GHz. A single via-fed patch antenna on the new laminate achieved 7.1 dBi gain, 3.2 dB higher than that on Megtron6 <tex>$(varepsilon_{r}=3.7)$</tex>. A <tex>$1times 4$</tex> array was implemented on the same stack-up achieved 9.2 dBi broadside gain and up to 0.8 dB lower scan loss at 60° compared with Megtron6. These results demonstrate the importance of substrate selection and highlight the potential of this laminate for PCB-based millimeter-wave antennas.","PeriodicalId":54101,"journal":{"name":"IEICE Communications Express","volume":"15 3","pages":"46-49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11359561","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147352564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}