Active phased array design for high reliability

We discuss strategies for designing: active phased array antennas with high reliability. We show how to consider fault-tolerance in the design of the antenna architecture, so that replacement of failed components can be avoided for an extended period of time. First, we address the dependence of antenna life cycle cost on component failure rates. Then we discuss the design of active phased array architecture for maximizing antenna mean-time-between-failures (MTBF). The antenna MTBF is defined in terms of a specified degradation in peak sidelobe level. We present simulated data showing the effect of random, single, and clustered element failures on the peak sidelobe level of a low sidelobe antenna aperture. We use these data as a basis for analyzing various phased array architectures in terms of their antenna MTBF     

基于相控阵雷达天线俯仰多波位相扫的设计与应用

分析研究了如何设计平面相控阵雷达天线多波位相扫的基本原理,提出了36行平面相控阵雷达天线在俯仰上实现多波位发射波束、接收波束形成与展宽方法.通过微波暗室的测试,天线技术指标完全达到了平面相控阵雷达天线多波位相扫的技术要求,实现了一维相控阵面高增益、高灵敏度、低噪声、大动态范围技术指标.     

Ka波段高增益圆极化机载微带天线阵的设计与实现

设计、分析、制作了一种工作在Ka波段的4单元高增益、圆极化机载微带天线阵列。利用顺序旋转阵列和串并馈方式的微带线网络馈电,显著改善了天线的轴比带宽和驻波带宽,减少了馈线损耗,实现了高增益。采用L型微带调配枝节对贴片单元进行匹配,便于组阵,解决了阵列空间布局不合理的难题;馈电网络和天线单元集成在同一介质基板上,易于加工和制作。测试结果表明:该天线阵具有高增益和良好的圆极化特性,从而证实了该方法的正确性和实用性。本文所设计的天线由于具有体积小、质量轻、结构紧凑、易于集成等优点,在机载相控阵雷达以及卫星通信系统中具有很好的应用前景。     

3-D Radar Based on Phase-in-Space Principle

A height-finding technique utilizing the relative phase between a series of point sources of a traveling-wave array is described. The point sources in the focal region of a torus antenna are used to control the phase of the antenna elevation pattern in space. Signals received from a given beam angle will arrive at each terminal of the traveling-wave feed with a different phase. By comparing this phase with a reference phase, the angular direction of an arriving plane wave can be measured with considerable accuracy. Thus a radar system with a single antenna and feed structure can be employed to yield instantaneous height coverage along with the usual range data.     

Electronically steerable plasma mirror based radar-concept andcharacteristics

An alternative to using a phased array to steer a radar beam is to electronically control the orientation of an inertialess broadband microwave reflector. Recent experiments have demonstrated that a planar plasma mirror immersed in a magnetic field can be formed with electron densities high enough to reflect X-band microwave beams. A plasma mirror performs like a metal mirror, but it is inertialess. Compared to high performance phased array systems, a plasma mirror based radar system is much simpler and is therefore more affordable. Electronic steering of microwave beams using a plasma mirror permits the use of wide instantaneous bandwidth waveforms. Potential areas of application for a plasma mirror based antenna system include ship self-defense, high-resolution radar imaging, target identification, electronic countermeasures, high data rate communications, spread spectrum links and remote sensing. As a reflector, the plasma mirror exhibits extremely low loss and the reflectivity is very nearly 100%. Since a perfectly reflecting object cannot radiate, the noise temperature contribution of the plasma mirror to the antenna temperature is likely to be small. The plasma sheet can be steered in elevation by tilting the magnetic field, and steering in azimuth may be accomplished by designating cathode initiation sites. Switching times between successive mirror orientations may be less than 20 μs     

相控阵天线方向图仿真与分析

相控阵天线目前广泛应用于雷达中,促进了多目标、多任务雷达的发展。但随着电扫描角度的变化,其诸多指标也随之变化,对雷达的性能产生直接影响,因而对相控阵天线方向图进行实时定量分析具有重要意义。文章基于相控阵天线的基本原理,利用LabVIEW语言开发了相控阵天线方向图仿真软件。软件设置了相控阵天线各影响参数的输入控件,通过图形和数值2种方式进行仿真结果的显示,并以表格文件存储。通过不同条件下的仿真结果对比分析,软件可合理有效地对相控阵天线方向图进行实时定量的仿真分析,可应用于相控阵雷达的性能分析和评估中。     

Phase Control in Multibeam Arrays

The phases of the radiation fields in a multibeam antenna are analyzed and their relations to the feed network are established. A method of phase control is proposed and applied to the case of cophasal beams radiated from an array for which the feed network is a lossless Butler matrix.     

任意拓扑结构的耦合振荡器阵列及其在共形阵中的应用

提出了一种利用耦合振荡器阵列实现共形相控阵天线波束扫描的新方法。建立了任意拓扑结构的耦合振荡器阵列幅度和相位动力学方程,采用图论的方法分析了稳态相位方程解的唯一存在性和稳定性,通过控制振荡器每个单元的自由振荡频率,对相位进行加权,实现了共形相控阵天线无移相器的波束扫描,最后对圆柱形耦合振荡器阵列天线进行了数值仿真,验证了该方法的可行性。     

相控阵雷达天线模型及仿真

阐述了相控阵天线仿真的重要性,指出了相控阵天线仿真的主要困难。提出了一种利用阵因子、方向性因子和旁瓣抑制因子分别解决仿真波束形状、天线增益、方向图旁瓣及其变化等3大问题,并进行综合建模和仿真,给出了综合后的仿真模型。该仿真模型保证了理论方面的精度,优化和减少了仿真计算步骤和计算量。利用该仿真模型,给出了宙斯盾系统的AN／SPY-1D雷达天线的仿真计算实例。     

MIMO radar: snake oil or good idea?

MIMO communication is theoretically superior to conventional communication under certain conditions, and MIMO communication also appears to be practical and cost-effective in the real world for some applications. It is natural to suppose that the same is true for MIMO radar, but the situation is not so clear. Researchers claim many advantages of MIMO radar relative to phased array radars (e.g., better detection performance, better angular resolution, better angular measurement accuracy, improved robustness against RFI, ECM, multipath, etc.). We will evaluate such assertions from a system engineering viewpoint. In particular, there are serious trade-offs of MIMO vs. phased array radars relative to cost, system complexity, and risk considering numerous real world effects that are not included in most theoretical analyses. Moreover, in many cases one can achieve essentially the same radar system improvement with phased array radars using simpler, less expensive, and less risky algorithms. We evaluate roughly a dozen asserted advantages of MIMO radar relative to phased arrays.     

Noise-correlating radar based on retrodirective antennas

A new retrodirective antenna-based search radar system has been introduced. The suggested system uses a noise correlation technique to detect the presence and the direction of the target. Simulation and analytical results show an order of magnitude improvement in acquisition time of the radar when compared with a phased array antenna-based radar system with the same specifications, except transmit power. To the best knowledge of the authors, no radar of a comparable acquisition time has been designed to this date. Power versus acquisition time tradeoff has been compared with a phased array radar for evaluating performance of the system. The radar is self-tracking due to retrodirectivity of the antenna array, and is much easier to implement, as it does not require any phase shifters etc.     

一种新型双线极化BD2 B3抗干扰天线设计

设计了一种双线极化BD2B3抗干扰天线单元,采用2个幅度相等相位相差90°的馈电点,产生幅度相等相位正交的2个线极化波实现双线极化,用该天线单元进行抗干扰阵列组合,能够有效减小天线阵列的体积。     

Dielectric lens antenna with scan reflector

A dielectric lens antenna with a scanning reflector that is coaxial to the lens is described, and its aberrations are analyzed. The result shows that aberrations of the system will deteriorate severely when a planar reflector is used, but the aberrations can be significantly reduced when a corrected phase reflector is used.     

Joint STARS phased array radar antenna

The Joint STARS phased array radar system is capable of performing long range airborne surveillance and was used during the Persian Gulf war on two E8-A aircraft to fly many around-the-clock missions to monitor the Kuwait and Iraq battlefield from a safe distance behind the front lines. This paper is a follow-on to previous publications on the subject of the Joint STARS antenna and deals mainly with mission performance and technical aspects not previously covered. Radar data of troop movements and armament installations are presented, a brief review of the antenna design is given, followed by technical discussions concerning the three-port interferometry, gain and sidelobe design approach, cost control, range test implementation and future improvements     

基于天线安装的菱形翼无人机翼型优化设计

以菱形翼布局高空长航时(HALE)传感器无人机研究为背景,分析了翼型内部安装平面相控阵雷达天线的基本原理。通过推导雷达探测性能的估算方程,建立了在翼型中安装平面相控阵雷达天线的数学模型。采用数值模拟的方法,对典型雷诺数下的RAE2822翼型的气动特性进行了研究并与试验数据进行了对比,验证了使用有限体积法k-ωSST(Shear Stress Transport)湍流模型求解雷诺平均Navier-Stokes方程在这一状态下的可靠性和适用性;同时对不同厚度的NACA 64A系列翼型的流场结构和流动机理进行了分析,在此基础上提出了一种满足平面相控阵雷达天线安装情况下翼型的优化设计思想。优化结果验证了这一设计思想的可行性。     

Continuous transverse stub technology

Military and civil radar and communication systems utilize phased array antennas that require hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of transmit/receive (T/R) modules. T/R modules, even when low cost, drive the total RF system cost to an undesirable level, resulting in fewer systems being purchased, This paper reviews the application of continuous transverse stub (CTS) antenna technology to reduce the number of T/R modules required and, thus, the overall RF system cost, and military and civil applications and their respective cost savings     

相控阵雷达搜索方式下波位编排与优化

分析不同波位编排方式对相控阵雷达能量需求与搜索性能的影响,给出了搜索方式下较为优化的波位编排方式。然后在分析相控阵雷达波束展宽效应的基础上,提出了非均匀划分扫描空域并对波束展宽效应进行补偿的方法,对波位编排方式进一步优化。最后利用该方法仿真分析了波束宽度与天线增益的变化,结果表明可有效补偿波束展宽效应带来的影响。     

The IRIDIUMR main mission antenna concept

The design of a novel phased array panel that provides the L-band satellite to ground links for the IRIDIUM global communications system is presented. Key components and aspects of this phased array antenna are discussed, including the beamforming architecture, radiated intermodulation products, the patch radiators, and the T/R module. The strategy for minimizing DC power consumption over a large range of multicarrier rf output power is described. Finally, test results showing compliant array operation are summarized     

A space-fed phased array for surveillance from space

A space-fed radar antenna called a venetian blind is proposed for all-weather wide-area surveillance from space. Radar requirements for tasked and untasked operation are discussed, and the process of selecting the venetian blind concept, which can support both, is described. In its untasked form (essentially a space-fed passive lens), it achieves off-axis squint angles of many beamwidths with negligible performance degradation. It is inherently insensitive to mechanical distortion and is a first step in the evolution to the more complex tasked system antenna. The antenna lens consists of easily manufactured slats with microstrip dipole radiating elements and matching networks on a dielectric substrate. Phase control is achieved with low-loss delay lines in the passive lens or active transmit/receive modules if electronic scan is desired     

Small Ku-band phased array antenna system

A four-element phased array antenna prototype with varactor tuning has been constructed. The design employs aperture-fed quarter-wave patch elements and loaded-line phase shifters, having a phase adjustment range of about 50/spl deg/, which enables beam steering up to 13/spl deg/ from the array boresight. The system is suitable as a building block for larger arrays and shows as such a maximum gain of 7.7 dBi and an impedance bandwidth of 1 GHz. The sidelobe level is better than -13 dB. Problems encountered include parasitic resonances which disturb matching, and partially deteriorate the radiation pattern. Additionally, mechanical manufacturing tolerances of the microstrip boards were not always adequate, whereby a 6% shift in the center frequency, some impedance errors, and phasing inaccuracies were observed.