Correction of near-field antenna measurements made with an arbitrary but known measuring antenna

We describe a technique for rigorously correcting for the effects of an arbitrary but known measuring antenna (or `probe?) in determination of vectorial far-field antenna pattern and power-gain function from near-field measurements.     

The bi-polar planar near-field measurement technique, part II:near-field to far-field transformation and holographic imaging methods

A novel customized bi-polar planar near-field measurement technique is presented in a two-part paper. This bipolar technique offers a large scan plane size with minimal “real-estate” requirements and a simple mechanical implementation, requiring only rotational motions, resulting in a highly accurate and cost-effective antenna measurement and diagnostic system. Part I of this two-part paper introduced the bi-polar planar near-field measurement concept, discussed the implementation of this technique at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and provided a comparative survey of measured results. This paper examines the data processing algorithms that have been developed and customized to exploit the unique features of the bi-polar planar near-field measurement technique. Near-field to far-field transformation algorithms investigated include both interpolatory and non-interpolatory algorithms due to the a typical arrangement of the bi-polar near-field samples. The algorithms which have been tailored for the bi-polar configuration include the optimal sampling interpolation (OSI)/fast Fourier transform (FFT), Jacobi-Bessel transform, and Fourier-Bessel transform. Additionally, holographic imaging for determination of antenna aperture fields has been incorporated to facilitate antenna diagnostics. Results for a simulated measurement of an array of infinitesimal dipoles and a measured waveguide-fed slot array antenna are included. Appropriate guidelines with respect to the advantages and disadvantages of the various processing algorithms are provided     

Application of a six-port network to a near-field antenna measurement system

The configuration and calibration of a six-port network analyser for application in near-field antenna measurements is described. The suitability of the new measurement system is illustrated by experimental results.     

An overview of near-field antenna measurements

After a brief history of near-field antenna measurements with and without probe correction, the theory of near-field antenna measurements is outlined beginning with ideal probes scanning on arbitrary surfaces and ending with arbitrary probes scanning on planar, cylindrical, and spherical surfaces. Probe correction is introduced for all three measurement geometries as a slight modification to the ideal probe expressions. Sampling theorems are applied to determine the required data-point spacing, and efficient computational methods along with their computer run times are discussed. The major sources of experimental error defining the accuracy of typical planar near-field measurement facilities are reviewed, and present limitations of planar, cylindrical, and spherical near-field scanning are identified.     

Spherical near-field scanning at the Technical University ofDenmark

The early work (1969-79) on spherical near-field antenna measurements at the Technical University of Denmark (TUD) is outlined. A spherical near-field transmission formula is described and the first probe-corrected spherical near-field measurements are discussed. The TUD-ESA (European Space Agency) joint effort on spherical near-field testing is also described     

Determination of far-field antenna patterns from near-field measurements

In many cases, it is impractical or impossible to make antenna pattern measurements on a conventional far-field range; the distance to the radiating far field may be too long, it may be impractical to move the antenna from its operating environment to an antenna range, or the desired amount of pattern data may require too much time on a far-field range. For these and other reasons, it is often desirable or necessary to determine far-field antenna patterns from measurements made in the radiating near-field region; three basic techniques for accomplishing this have proven to be successful. In the first technique, the aperture phase and amplitude distributions are sampled by a scanning field probe, and then the measured distributions are transformed to the far field. In the second technique, a plane wave that is approximately uniform in amplitude is created by a feed and large reflector in the immediate vicinity of the test antenna. And in the third technique, the test antenna is focused within the radiating near-field region, patterns are measured at the reduced range, and then the antenna is refocused to infinity. Each of these techniques is discussed, and the various advantages and limitations of each technique are presented.     

Metrological characteristics of antenna system for measuring electromagnetic field parameters

Errors in measuring the electromagnetic field parameters of a five-element antenna system have been analyzed. Analytical relationships for main errors were derived, and maximum values of measurement errors were calculated.     

Rapid near-field antenna testing via arrays of modulated scatteringprobes

Key results are summarized of efforts to significantly reduce the near-field measurement time by utilizing one- or two-dimensional arrays of modulated scattering probes in lieu of the single probe ordinarily used in conventional near-field measurement techniques. Results of analytical, numerical, and experimental investigations show that the modulated-scattering technique (MST) using arrays of hundreds or even thousands of modulated scattering probes can be used to map the complex near-field of antennas or scatterers in a few seconds or minutes. The results also strongly indicate that classical (nonmodulated) receiving/transmitting arrays can be adapted for rapid near-field data collection. Major factors affecting the accuracy and speed of probe arrays for near-field measurement are delineated and discussed. Experimental results obtained using laboratory prototype MST systems are also presented and discussed     

Prediction of far-field from uniform and non-uniform under-sampled near-field data in planar near-field antenna measurements

In near-field antenna measurements various forms of uniform and non-uniform sampling techniques have been widely deployed. Considering the fact that the near-field pattern of any antenna is a spatially quasi-band-width-limited function of space coordinates, Shannon's theorem simply defines the sampling frequency. Based on the sampling theorem, in order to precisely reconstruct a band-limited signal from its samples, the sampling frequency must be at least twice as much as the signal's bandwidth. Through the simulations and theoretical evaluations this research shows that if the near-field pattern is either uniformly or non-uniformly under-sampled due to any practical reasons, yet a good estimation of far-field pattern can be obtained especially if the antenna under test (AUT) is a directive high-gain or super high-gain antenna. Also the time efficiency of far-field prediction from under-sampled near-field data is discussed and the advantages and disadvantages are highlighted.     

Measurements of complex antenna factor by the near-field 3-antennamethod

The near-field 3-antenna method for measuring the complex antenna factor (CAF) is proposed in order to reduce the effect of the measurement site and background noise. The transmission coefficients in the far-field region are calculated from those measured in the near-field and theoretically obtained near-field correction factors (NCF). The CAF of monopole antennas are measured using the proposed method in a frequency range up to 6 GHz. From the measurement results, the dependency of CAF values on the antenna distance is small. These results indicate that our theory including the NCF is applicable for the measurements of the CAF of simple-structure antennas     

法向模螺旋天线近场耦合的研究

根据天线的近场耦合原理,设计了一种近距离传输数据的双频法向模全向螺旋天线,工作频率在160MHz和480MHz。研究表明,实验数据与天线仿真数据基本吻合。此天线利用近场进行数据传输,不易受外部环境的影响,增加了数据传输的稳定性。     

A three-loop antenna system for performing near-field measurementsof electric and magnetic fields from video display terminals

This paper discusses the use of a three-loop antenna system (TLAS) for near-field measurement of electric and magnetic fields from video display terminals (VDTs). We calculated the electric and magnetic dipole moments to derive the electric and magnetic field patterns in the near field region. Electric and magnetic fields, emitted by several different models of VDTs, were evaluated with the TLAS and were compared with those measured by conventional electric and magnetic field probes at different distances and directions from VDTs. A good correlation (±1.6 dB) between the two measurement techniques was found. This agreement is within the accuracy (±2 dB) of the conventional field probe measurements     

GTD分析阵列天线在复杂电磁环境下的近场受扰

给出了应用几何绕射理论(GTD)分析计算机载电大尺寸阵列天线方向图的一种方法,比较好地解决了在复杂电磁环境下,大型阵列天线近场受扰分析的问题.该方法将阵列天线的每个阵元看成电偶极子,由于电偶极子尺寸很小,因而可以认为阵列的近场区仍然是单个电偶极子的远场区.根据这样的远场近似,可以利用几何绕射理论用解析方法计算每个电偶极子受到遮挡影响的场分布.通过独立地对阵列天线的每个阵元单独寻迹计算,并且将所有阵元的场进行叠加,就可以得到整个阵列天线受到处于近场的障碍物遮挡影响的场分布.应用此方法计算了一个阵列天线受到近场遮挡之后的方向图,并与应用HFSS仿真软件计算的结果进行了比较.计算结果表明,这一方法可以很好地应用于复杂电磁环境中大型阵列天线的近场受扰问题分析.     

Slot-monopole antenna system for energy-density reception at UHF

A new type of energy-density antenna is proposed for mobile telephony in the 800-1200-MHz range using a slot-monopole antenna (SMA) configuration. To mount the antenna on a mobile two orthogonally crossed slot antennas backed by a shallow cavity placed on the roof were found to be most suitable for receiving the magnetic field components, whereas a monopole attached to the base of the cavity and designed as a sleeve antenna is utilized to probe the electric field component. A prototype of the SMA system is manufactured, and its dimensions and design characteristics are presented. The radiation pattern, the input impedance of each of the three sections of the antenna system, and the isolation characteristics between all the sections of the SMA are measured and discussed.     

The receiving antenna as a linear differential operator: Application to spherical near-field scanning

The general receiving antenna is represented as a linear differential operator converting the incident field and its spatial derivatives at a single point in space to an output voltage. The differential operator is specified explicitly in terms of the multipole coefficients of the antenna's complex receiving pattern. When the linear operator representation is applied to the special probes used in spherical near-field measurements, a probe-corrected spherical transmission formula is revealed that retains the form, applicability, and simplicity of the nonprobe-corrected equations. The new spherical transmission formula is shown to be consistent with the previous transmission formula derived from the rotational and translational addition theorems for spherical waves.     

An antenna impedance measuring system for the medium-wave with interference signal suppression function

An impedance analyzer or the Schering bridge is usually used for measurement of the medium-wave antenna impedance. However it has been said to be impossible to measure the exact antenna impedance under a high-intensity electric field environment generated by such as a neighboring radio station, especially with the same operating frequency because an undesired large signal is induced at the antenna input port. We propose a new measurement method and an instrument using a double synchronized detection, which has a function to suppress undesired signals efficiently. Here a double synchronous detecting technique is introduced to suppress the undesired signal with the same frequency as a measurement frequency. This system makes it possible to easily measure the antenna impedance with higher accuracy even under such an environment and also is useful for periodical maintenance of the transmitting antenna without interruption of broadcasting services in the daytime.     

智能天线及其在无线通信系统中的应用

智能天线技术作为提升频谱资源效率、系统容量和通信质量的有效途径之一,广泛应用于无线通信系统中.介绍了智能天线的基本概念、特点、原理和形式,并分析智能天线在未来无线通信系统中的应用与发展趋势.