基于均匀介质球透镜的二维扫描天线

在球透镜仅实现一维扫描的基础上,通过在另一维上平行放置多层馈源的方式,实现了二维同时扫描。基于坐标变换和GO/PO方法推导了馈源偏移量和波束指向角之间的关系式。该天线由一个均匀介质球透镜和多层平面馈源天线组成。通过同一层上的TSA(渐变缝隙天线)单元之间的切换实现水平面的扫描,而通过不同层上TSA单元之间的切换实现垂直面的扫描。作为在毫米波段的一个应用,研制了一个Ka波段用8×2的TSA单元阵馈电的天线实物。实测结果表明它可以在水平面和垂直面分别达到128°和30°的覆盖。     

An Effective Near-Field-Far-Field Transformation Technique for Elongated Antennas Using a Fast Helicoidal Scan [Measurements Corner]

An experimental validation of a new near-field-far-field transformation technique with helicoidal scanning, tailored for elongated antennas, is provided in this paper. Such a transformation is based on non-redundant sampling representations of the electromagnetic fields. It makes use of a flexible source modeling, which allows one to very well fit many of these kinds of antennas by properly setting the geometric parameters. By employing such modeling instead of spherical modeling, it is possible to remarkably reduce the error related to the truncation of the scanning zone, since measurement cylinders with a diameter smaller than the antenna's height can be used. A comparison of the reconstructions recovered from the non-redundant measurements on the helix with those obtained from data directly measured on the classical cylindrical grid assesses the validity of this innovative scanning technique.     

一种减小相控阵天线球面近场测量截断误差的方法

在相控阵天线球面近场测量中,有限扫描面和相控阵天线波束扫描将会引起较大的截断误差.为了解决这一问题,提出利用基于遗传算法参数优化的余弦窗函数对近场数据进行加权处理的方法来有效减小截断误差.以半波振子组成的矩形平面阵作为待测天线,对相控阵天线球面近场测量进行了计算机模拟.模拟结果表明,通过对近场数据进行加余弦窗的处理并用遗传算法对参数进行优化能够大大减小相控阵天线波束扫描时的有限扫描面截断误差,从而证实了文中所提出方法的正确性和有效性.     

窗函数在相控阵天线平面近场测量中的应用

有限扫描面截断是影响天线平面近场测量精度的主要误差源之一，尤其是对于波束扫描的相控阵天线的平面近场测量更是如此。为了减小相控阵天线平面近场测量中的有限扫描面截断误差，介绍了余弦窗函数并将其应用到相控阵天线平面近场测量中。计算机模拟结果表明，通过对近场进行加余弦窗的数据处理能够有效地减小有限扫描面截断误差。提出了对近场数据进行加余弦窗处理的适用条件。     

减小平面近场测量中多次反射误差的新方法

本文给出了用平面近场技术测量超低副瓣天线时,平面近场测量总误差与天线远场方向图副瓣电平的误差方程,并进行了计算机仿真;提出了减小平面近场测量中探头天线与待测天线间多次反射误差和微波暗室电特性误差对超低副瓣天线所引入的测量误差的"自校准法",实验结果说明该方法是解决平面近场测量中多次反射和微波暗室电特性误差较为理想的方法.     

Radial field retrieval in spherical scanning for currentreconstruction and NF-FF transformation

A near-field to far-field (NF-FF) transformation is addressed for the case of spherical scanning using equivalent magnetic currents (EMCs) and matrix methods. It is based on the decoupling of the field components and the iterative retrieval of the radial component of the electric field. The technique is applied for far-field calculation as well as for the estimation of the current distribution of the antenna under test (AUT) using spherical near-field facilities. Results from measured near-field data of several antennas are presented and compared to those of the analytical solution via a spherical wave mode expansion method     

Application of spherical near-field measurements to microwaveholographic diagnosis of antennas

Microwave diagnosis of antennas is considered as a viable tool for the determination of reflector surface distortions and location of defective radiating elements of array antennas. A hybrid technique based on the combination of the spherical near-field measurements and holographic metrology reconstruction is presented. The measured spherical near-field data are first used to construct the far-field amplitude and phase patterns of the antenna on specified regularized u-v coordinates. These data are then utilized in the surface profile reconstruction of the holographic technique using a fast-Fourier-transform (FFT)/iterative approach. Results of an experiment using a 156-cm reflector antenna measured at 11.3 GHz are presented for both the original antenna and the antenna with four attached bumps. Several contour and gray-scaled plots are presented for the reconstructed surface profiles of the measured antennas. The recovery effectiveness of the attached bumps has been demonstrated. The hybrid procedure presented is used to assess the achieved accuracy of the holographic reconstruction technique because of its ability to determine very accurate far-field amplitude and phase data from the spherical near-field measurements     

Antenna measurements using a hologram CATR

It becomes increasingly difficult to obtain far-field measurements for large millimetre wave antennas at higher frequencies due to the required large distance between the antennas. A hologram compact antenna test range (CATR) is used to determine the radiation characteristics of a 39 GHz planar antenna in a small facility. The results are compared with those obtained from planar near-field scanning and conventional far-field measurements     

Linear programming from generalised scattering matrix analysis of array for minimum sidelobe level and prescribed nulls

A pattern synthesis technique for arbitrary planar arrays which are characterised in terms of a generalised scattering matrix and whose radiated field is expressed as a spherical mode expansion is introduced. The procedure yields the complex-valued excitations to achieve a minimum-maximum sidelobe level given a specified pointing direction and mainlobe width, as well as prescribed field nulls. All inter-element coupling effects coming from complex radiating structures used as array elements are inherently taken into account. Numerical results are presented for arrays of dielectric resonator antennas.     

Extension of the 3-D range migration algorithm to cylindrical andspherical scanning geometries

A near field three-dimensional (3-D) synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) algorithm specially tailored for cylindrical and spherical scanning geometries is presented. An imaging system with 3-D capability can be implemented by using a stepped-frequency radar which synthesizes a two-dimensional (2-D) aperture. Typical scanning geometries commonly used are planar, cylindrical, and spherical. The 3-D range migration algorithm (RMA) can be readily used with a planar scanning geometry. This algorithm is extremely accurate, preserves the phase, and corrects for the wavefront curvature. The RMA cannot be directly applied with nonplanar scanning geometries. However, as an alternative solution, we propose to backpropagate the backscattered data onto a planar aperture in the vicinity of the measurement aperture and then apply the 3-D RMA. The proposed imaging algorithm is validated both numerically and experimentally     

A method for designing broad-band microstrip antennas inmultilayered planar structures

The narrow bandwidth of a microstrip antenna is one of the important features that restrict its wide usage. A simple and practical method for the design of broad-band microstrip antennas is presented in this paper. Utilizing this design technique, several two-layer microstrip antennas have been proposed. To confirm the applicability of the method for the designs of antennas at L-band, experiments have been carried out. The measured results show that the proposed antennas have a bandwidth of up to 25.7%. Also, the method proposed in this paper is applicable to the design of other types of multilayered planar antennas     

Microstrip adaptive array antenna

A planar adaptive array of three microstrip patch antennas consisting of a central active microstrip antenna and two symmetrical lateral passive antennas is used to steer the beam. An electronic beam scanning of ±20° can be achieved with the control of reactive loads located into the lateral patches     

Modal behavior of spherical waves from a source of EM radiation with application to spherical scanning

An exact analysis for deriving closed-form expressions for the coefficients of free-space spherical modes radiated by typical linear, array, and aperture type of antennas is presented. This analysis is employed to determine the number of spherical modes required to reconstruct the near/ far fields (NF/FF) with a prescribed accuracy. The analysis developed together with the theory of probe-compensated spherical scanning is also employed to arrive at a criterion for the minimum distance of separation between the probe and test antenna which will enable accurate nonprobe corrected spherical scanning possible.     

Spaceborne Mesh Reflector Antennas With Complex Weaves: Extended PO/Periodic-MoM Analysis

Reflector antennas with complex mesh weave patterns are numerically analyzed by using extended physical optics (PO) combined with the periodic method of moments (MoM). The method applies the periodic MoM with Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis and testing functions. It calculates the transmission coefficient matrix (T-matrix) of the realistic, complex weave pattern of the planar mesh, in order to calculate the modified PO current on the mesh reflector. When analyzed, the planar grid mesh is found to be compatible with the commonly used wire-grid model. The modified PO current on the locally planar mesh is implemented on the curved reflector surface for the diffraction analysis of the mesh reflector antennas. The far-field pattern of the offset parabolic antenna with grid mesh, modelled using periodic MoM, agreed well with those obtained from the wire-grid model. T-matrix calculated from the tabulated T-matrix data using the interpolation method is sufficiently accurate and compares well with the one calculated using the direct method, allowing users to choose one of the T-matrix calculation methods depending on the problem. The analysis of the mesh reflectors with two different complex weave patterns (single Satin and single Atlas at Ka band) is performed to exemplify the application of the extended PO/periodic MoM algorithm. It is shown that differences were observed in cross-polarization discrimination (XPD) for circular polarization operations depending on the weave patterns. This result demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed technique in accurate performance prediction of mesh reflector antennas with complex weave patterns     

Far-field uncertainty due to random near-field measurement error

Recent planar near-field scanning tests with ultralow-sidelobe antennas have confirmed that random near-field measurement errors will ultimately limit the accuracy of far-field patterns. A formulation is outlined for estimating the spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) arising from noncorrectable near-field random measurement errors. The formulation applies to arbitrarily directive test antennas and probes-even nulling probes. A far-field parameter, called the scan plane coupling factor, may be computed directly from the near-field data, and then used to form the spectral SNR. The accuracy of the spectral SNR is confirmed by simulation and by actual tests with low-sidelobe AWACS array antenna     

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.     

A Novel Geometrical Technique for Determining Optimal Array Antenna Lattice Configuration

We present a new 2D geometrical technique for determining optimal element arrangement for planar, phased array antennas with specified scan limits. This geometrical technique is not limited to conical or pyramidal scanning, but can be extended to any scan type that can be represented with an analytical equation. In addition, simple equations are given for two very important scanning types, conical and pyramidal. These equations provide deeper understanding and simpler graphical solutions than other pure graphical techniques. This paper discusses optimal array arrangement from the viewpoint of general lattice, which itself includes a hexagonal lattice as its subset. An important practical system, where this technique was found to be useful, is the $N$-face phased array antenna providing scanning throughout a hemisphere. Simple equations are given for determining the maximum off-axis scan and tilt angles of each face with respect to the zenith. Finally, the lattice arrangement of each face is decided by the new design technique.      

Leaky-wave multiple dichroic beamformers

The beamforming action of three planar frequency-selective surfaces (FSSs) placed in front of a waveguide aperture in a ground plane is demonstrated experimentally, together with the application to printed antennas. A simple ray theory illustrates the leaky-wave action for one FSS in position and the advantages and disadvantages of this beamforming technique are noted.<>     

CRLH metamaterial leaky-wave and resonant antennas

Composite right-/left-handed (CRLH) transmission-line (TL) metamnaterials, with their rich dispersion and fundamental right- /left-hand duality, represent a paradigm shift in electromagnetics engineering and, in particular, for antennas. This paper presents an overview of the most practical leaky-wave and resonant CRLH antennas, which all exhibit functionalities or/and performance superior to prior state of the art. The leaky-wave antennas provide full-space dynamic scanning capability, with fan beams, conical beams in uni-planar configurations, pencil beams without any complex feeding network, and actively shaped beams based on the concept of aperture digitization. The resonant antennas offer alternative properties and a solution to beam-squinting when no scanning is required, including multi-band (dual/tri-band) operation, zeroth-order high efficiency, high directivity, and planar electric and magnetic monopole radiators.     

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in planar metamaterial waveguides and radiation of antennas based on such waveguides

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in planar waveguides made of metamaterials with negative values of the relative permittivity and relative permeability is analyzed. The specific features of radiation from antennas manufactured on the basis of planar metamaterial waveguides are studied. It is shown that radiation of such antennas is characterized by the backfire radiation effect, i.e., the maximum of the radiation pattern is formed at 180°. The causes of this effect and the conditions for its appearance are revealed. It is proved that this effect appears only in the antennas manufactured on the basis of metamaterial waveguides with negative values of the relative permittivity and relative permeability. A design version of a scanning two-mode antenna operating on the basis of this effect is proposed.