Artificial Beam Sharpening Technique for Radar Beacon Systems

A method of improving angular discrimination artificially in radar beacon systems, without going to extremely high frequencies of operation or using unreasonably large interrogator antennas, involves the use of a null-type antenna pattern superposed on a normal directional beam. The effective are over which replies are obtained is determined by an amplitude discriminator circuit within the beacon which compares the amplitude of the pulse signals received on the null pattern with those received via the directional beam. Only if the latter exceed the former by a predetermined amount does the beacon produce a reply. The method, which has been tried experimentally and its theory verified, produces an increase in traffic handling capacity, as well as improved angular resolution, by reducing unwanted triggering and, hence, clutter on the display and the over-interrogation of transponder beacons. An antenna is described which eliminates triggering on sidelobes by providing the proper current distribution to the radiating elements to cause the null pattern to cover the sidelobes of the normal beam. Triple-pulse amplitude discriminators have been built and tested in a double-pulse interrogation system. Some theoretical considerations and design curves and equations for use in designing nulltype antennas are given in the Appendix.     

CW alternatives to the coherent pulse train-signals and processors

Continuous wave (CW) signals phase modulated by a periodic waveform, and their corresponding receivers, are discussed. The combined response in delay and Doppler is almost identical to the (ideal) response of the coherent pulse train. The receivers are matched to an integral number N of modulation periods of the transmitted signal. CW implies a duty cycle of 100%. However, the signal duration need not be longer than N+2 periods. The CW signals have the advantage that their peak power is equal to the average power. Their disadvantages are more complicated receiver processing and the need for two antennas     

空间大型星载抛物面天线研究进展

抛物面天线作为星载天线的重要组成部分,在深空探测、移动通信、国防事业、气象监测等方面均具有广泛应用,近年来随着上述学科的快速发展,抛物面天线的研究也越来越受到人们的重视。针对空间大型星载抛物面天线的发展与需求,首先系统地概括了国外星载抛物球面天线的发展现状,综述了刚性、网状以及充气式星载抛物球面天线,对各类星载抛物球面天线的结构、性能进行了较为详细的描述和分析,对国内在该领域的部分研究成果进行了简述。然后梳理了星载抛物柱面天线的发展,对国内外具有代表性的抛物柱面天线进行了介绍,对抛物球面天线和抛物柱面天线进行了参数对比与分析。接下来对近年来针对星载抛物面天线的相关技术进行了介绍。最后对星载抛物面天线的发展趋势做了简要分析与预测。     

飞行器共形天线新型制造工艺及应用研究进展

共形天线具有小型化、低剖面、大孔径等特点,是未来天线重点发展趋势之一,以气动一体化天线、超宽带窄波束天线为代表的共形天线成为目前飞行器天线领域的研究热点。当前共形天线的制作工艺主要包括打印、转印、激光加工等,采用合适的工艺能够实现天线的大面积共形制造。讨论了共形天线在不同飞行器载体上的优势,如打印制作的低剖面机载天线可实现战机的气动隐身一体化需求,也可满足弹载天线小型超宽带需求,柔性天线可应用于星载充气可展开天线等。在此基础上对当前共形天线存在的关键技术问题进行了阐述,并对共形天线在航空航天领域的未来发展做出了展望。     

Clutter Suppression by Complex Weighting of Coherent Pulse Trains

Uniform coherent pulse trains offer a practical solution to the problem of designing a radar signal possessing both high range and range-rate resolution. The Doppler sensitivity provides some rejection of off-Doppler (clutter) returns in the matched filter receiver. This paper considers the use of a processor in which members of the received pulse train are selectively weighted in amplitude and phase to improve clutter suppression. The techniques described are particularly suitable for rejecting interference entering the processor through ambiguous responses (range sidelobes) of the signal. The complex weights which are derived are optimum in the sense that they produce the maximum clutter suppression for a given detection efficiency. In determining these weights, it is assumed that the distribution of clutter in range and range rate relative to targets of interest is known. Thus, clutter suppression is achieved by reducing the sidelobe levels in specified regions of the receiver response. These techniques are directly applicable to array antennas; the analogous antenna problem would be to reduce sidelobe levels in a particular sector while preserving gain. Complex weighting is most successful when the clutter is limited in both range and velocity.     

民用飞机甚高频通信天线设计

作为民用飞机甚高频(Very High Frequency,以下简称VHF)通信系统的重要组成部分,VHF通信天线不仅辐射和接收电磁波,还要进行能量转换。VHF通信天线的设计直接影响通信中射频能量的分布,进而影响通信质量和飞行安全。简要介绍了VHF通信系统,并在给出VHF通信天线设计要求的基础上,通过工程实例分析了VHF通信天线的设计过程,最后总结了VHF通信天线设计的特点。     

卫星天线双轴定位机构建模与仿真

卫星天线定位机构对控制天线的运动精确具有重要的意义。本文介绍了卫星点波束天线双轴定位机构的基本组成,建立了刚体动力学模型、仿真模型,并开发了仿真软件,对系统进行了仿真。     

一种基于角度-多普勒补偿的均匀圆形天线机载雷达杂波抑制方法

采用均匀圆形相控阵天线的机载雷达杂波分布随距离变化而变化,各距离单元的杂波不再满足独立同分布的条件,造成统计型空时自适应处理(STAP)器性能下降。基于此,本文建立了均匀圆形天线机载雷达模型,对其杂波分布进行了分析,得出了空间角随阵元数非线性变化的特性造成其杂波距离维分布非均匀的结论。研究了一种均匀圆形天线机载雷达杂波抑制方法,该方法先通过修正的角度 多普勒补偿(MADC)预处理消除在杂波谱中心处的非均匀,再利用基于导数更新(DBU)技术进一步减小在其他方位杂波的非均匀程度。仿真结果表明了该方法的有效性。     

Clutter Spectra of Low PRF AMTI Pulse-Doppler Radar

Approximate expressions are derived for the video clutter spectra in the receiver of a low pulse repetition frequency (PRF), airborne moving target indicator (AMTI), pulse-Doppler radar for both step-scanning and continuous-scanning antennas. The receiver is assumed to process the received waveform with a clutter-tracking oscillator and a window function is employed to obtain short-term spectra. Except for the broadening effects of the window function, it is shown that the clutter spectrum can be simply related to the antenna voltage-gain pattern. It is further shown, in the scanning antenna case, that the combined spectral broadening due to platform motion and antenna scanning cannot be assumed to be the result of the convolution of the separate effects unless the antenna gain pattern has a Gaussian shape. The approximate clutter expressions are illustrated by examples and are shown to agree well with the results of computer calculations.     

机载天线隔离度的分析计算与仿真

机载天线间的隔离度是飞机系统电磁兼容性的主要参数之一,用来表征天线间的耦合强弱程度.在实际工程中,飞机上集中了大量天线,使得周围空间电磁环境很复杂.在研究机载天线电磁兼容性时,采用计算天线间的隔离度数值的方法来实现.本文先通过对配置在圆柱体模型上的两个天线的隔离度进行理论分析和计算,然后采用HFSS仿真软件对所需频带内的两个天线隔离度进行了仿真,并将其两者的结果进行了比较,从而实现对整个频带内的天线的电磁兼容性的正确预测和评估.     

Superconducting antennas

The applicability of superconductors to antennas is examined with emphasis on the roles of external and internal fields. Six potential implementations have resulted. These are superdirective arrays, millimeter-wavelength arrays, electrically small antennas, matching of antennas, phasers for electronic scanning, and traveling-wave array feeds. Most superdirective arrays are still impractical, because of high Q and strict tolerances. Large millimeter arrays appear feasible, due to a major reduction in feed losses. For electrically small antennas, high Q again limits applicability. However, matching of small superdirective arrays and all electrically small antennas, including large transmit antennas, is very attractive, as matching network losses are greatly reduced. Switched-line phasers offer a major size reduction; phase control by means of temperature of a single line poses some problems. Traveling-wave array beam steering by means of temperature also appears possible. The last two utilize the kinetic inductance provided by thin films     

一种基于角度-多普勒补偿的均匀圆形

采用均匀圆形相控阵天线的机载雷达杂波分布随距离变化而变化,各距离单元的杂波不再满足独立同分布的条件,造成统计型空时自适应处理(STAP)器性能下降。基于此,本文建立了均匀圆形天线机载雷达模型,对其杂波分布进行了分析,得出了空间角随阵元数非线性变化的特性造成其杂波距离维分布非均匀的结论。研究了一种均匀圆形天线机载雷达杂波抑制方法,该方法先通过修正的角度-多普勒补偿(MADC)预处理消除在杂波谱中心处的非均匀,再利用基于导数更新(DBU)技术进一步减小在其他方位杂波的非均匀程度。仿真结果表明了该方法的有效性。     

Textile antennas: effects of antenna bending on input matching and impedance bandwidth

How the performance of wearable textile antennas is affected on the antenna bending is described herein. The authors focus on the resonance frequency fluctuation and input-match bandwidth variation due to the antenna bending. The results are given for three different antennas, namely, a conventional patch, EBG, and dual-band U-slot antennas     

Performance of phased-array antennas with mechanical errors

The performance of planar phase-array antennas with mechanical errors is investigated. Errors in array element positions as a result of structural distortions are considered as deterministic and predictable. Detailed calculations for two assumed modes of distortion reveal that their effects on antenna performance are the loss of peak response in the scan direction and the broadening of the mainlobe, while the far-out sidelobe structure remains relatively intact. For large antennas, performance improvement can be expected by suitable phase compensation. Performance of antennas with random errors in their element positions must be treated statistically. Expressions of average directivity and sidelobe level corresponding to arbitrary error magnitudes in element position, amplitude and phase of excitation as well as finite rate of failure of element modules were derived and verified by direct numerical calculations from the antenna directivity patterns. For a planar phased-array antenna typical for space-based radars, the standard deviation of element position errors must not exceed 1% of the operating wavelength in order to maintain a -10 dBi sidelobe level     

海洋环境下天线腐蚀机理与防腐技术研究

针对海洋环境下测控天线腐蚀引起的性能劣化和失效,在分析天线腐蚀机理、危害及影响因素的基础上,为设备的工程设计提供了采用耐腐蚀材料、隔断环境影响、表面防护技术、密封等防腐蚀措施的指导原则与设计方法,并首次探讨了海洋强腐蚀环境中,测控天线防腐蚀采用重装氟防腐涂料保护法和牺牲阳极的阴极保护法的可行性和实施细节。     

Mechanism for assembling antenna in space

The development of large and precise space antennas is one of the most important topics in constructing space infrastructures. We evaluated an approach to assembling large and accurate space antennas which uses space robots. The assembly mechanism was launched together with the ETS-VII, the first telerobotic satellite from Japan, and its performance, including fully automatic assembling, was verified. The assembling-type antenna and the results of antenna assembly experiments are discussed     

Phase Compensation for Widely-Spaced Antenna Systems Employing Coherent Signal Combinations

This paper describes a technique for providing phase compensation to signals received at widely-spaced antennas and processed at a central location. Self-compensation is provided for pathlength variations in reference-signal distribution systems. The technique may be adapted to include the measurement and compensation of signal-channel phase variations. Practical systems which require this type of compensation include interferometric systems used for position and position-rate measurements of missiles and spacecraft, interferometers and arrays of antennas used for radio and radar astronomy, and arrays of large-aperture antennas used for deep-space communications.     

Optimized RF test range for educational purposes

Both the design and construction of a composite scale airframe and the equipment for an anechoic test range plus the in-house production of absorptive wall covering-all for engineering education-are briefly described. It is shown, that low cost home-made absorbing material with an attenuation of 30 dB or more can be designed. Waveguide and ground plane antennas for test purposes can be constructed from surplus materials. In this case the design and measurements of a 3 GHz antenna pair are shown. Finally, as a test object, a cheap yet effective scale model of a modern fighter aircraft is used for measurements of radar cross section and antenna installations. As a demonstration of the total system capabilities, the measurement of installed F-18 antennas is shown     

Measuring satellite antennas with a compact hologram test range

Testing of satellite antennas at high millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths has some specific problems not encountered at lower frequencies. The atmospheric attenuation due to water and oxygen molecule resonances at certain frequency bands can be substantial. Therefore, conventional far-field test methods for electrically large antennas are ruled out by the required far-field distance of kilometers or even tens of kilometers. However, the compact antenna test range (CATR) makes such far-field tests possible within an indoor chamber having a controlled atmosphere. The application and ongoing development of a CATR based on a hologram as the focusing element are outlined     

History of automotive anticollision radars and final experimentalresults of a MM-Wave car radar developed by the Technical University ofMunich

The history of development of automotive radars in different countries since 1972 is described using a short comparison of radar types. The authors indicate the planning of introduction of car radars in the near future according to information supplied by car companies. The purpose of the development of an automotive radar was to test different signal processing procedures both for distance and Doppler evaluation and also for a digital wavefront reconstruction to find out the angle position of a target. The block diagram, the main properties, the technical data of the radar system, the used antennas and the multiplexing of transmitting antennas is described. Finally some experimental results have been obtained under real traffic conditions