Design of a low complexity SMILE array

The Spatial Multiplexing of Local Elements (SMILE) technique utilizes a low complexity switch network to combine multiple data streams from different array elements into one data stream, which requires only one RF receiver. The original SMILE array uses parallel ADCs after de-multiplexing. We explored a novel approach of using a single ADC before de-multiplexing in digital domain. This switching scheme effectively reduces the amount of costly RF hardware by a factor of N for an N — element array without compromising full array functionality. Wireless lab tests were carried out. The recovered data and the spectrum after SMILE array beamforming are presented.