Pre-Implementation Simulation-Based Evaluation of a Transceiver Design for Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) Beamforming Applications

Antenna beamforming techniques are becoming a major focus for researchers in the development of cellular telecommunication systems, particularly for 5G. The beamforming method is used to shape multiple beams in the radiation pattern of an antenna array. The phase changes required to form these multibeams can be achieved by applying specific amplitude and phase weights. With this multibeam capability, the antenna's radiation can be directed toward one or several different directions simultaneously. There are two techniques that can be used to create these multibeams, Digital Beamforming and Hybrid Beamforming. One of the common algorithms used in beamforming signal processing is the Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR). In this paper, the application of MVDR in both beamforming techniques will be implemented and their performances compared. The performance comparison will be based on parameters including gain, array directivity, side lobe level (SLL), the number of Radio Frequency (RF) chains, Half Power Beamwidth (HPBW), First Null Beamwidth (FNBW), flexibility in beam steering, power consumption and cost, as well as system complexity. The results of this comparison show that digital beamforming offers better control over sidelobe and directivity at the cost of higher complexity and power consumption, while hybrid beamforming is a more cost-effective and power-efficient solution, minimizing the number of RF chains and with slightly lower directivity.