Multi-Target Telemetry Receiving Antenna Based on Phased Arrays Technology

In the practical application of aircraft, there may be situations when it is not possible to resolve radar target signals in the measurement channels of range, speed and angular coordinates in the on-board radar system. In these situations, it is advisable to use angular estimation procedures with super-resolution in the onboard radar system. Various methods and algorithms of angular estimation with super-resolution are known, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. At the same time, there is no information in the available scientific and technical literature about the algorithms of angular estimation with super-resolution used in the onboard radar system, knowledge of which is necessary when designing promising onboard radar systems. The article systematizes and analyzes the methods and algorithms of angular estimation with super-resolution. The classification of methods of angular estimation with superresolution is given. The generalized information about the known one-dimensional and twodimensional methods and algorithms of angular estimation is given. The algorithms proposed for use in flat antenna arrays, concentric ring antenna arrays, ring antenna arrays, round four-quadrant antenna arrays, flat antenna arrays with a total output signal are considered. It is noted that the features of the construction of radar homing heads include a reduction in the total number of information processing channels achieved by combining antenna elements into sublattices, the output signals of which are used to estimate the angular coordinates of radiation sources. The specificity of such antenna arrays is that the antenna sublattices have radiation patterns that are narrower than those of weakly directed antenna elements. In addition, the distance between the antenna modules can significantly exceed the distance between the antenna elements in a conventional antenna array and at the same time significantly exceed the wavelength size. To determine the possibilities of applying in practice the algorithms of angular two-dimensional estimation with super-resolution considered in the article in the onboard radar system, it is necessary to conduct special studies.

Formulation of the problem. Many electronic applications (for example, satellite communications) impose significant restrictions on the weight and dimensions of the antenna devices used. In addition, the antennas used should have the lowest possible cost and simplicity of design. To solve these problems, it is proposed to use a method for reducing the number of antenna elements in phased antenna arrays based on the method of point sources. Purpose. The purpose of this work is to develop a method for reducing the number of antenna elements in phased antenna arrays while maintaining the parameters of their radiation patterns. Results. As a solution, it is proposed to place the antenna elements above the metal sheet at a distance 1.5–2 times smaller than the size of the antenna array itself, which will significantly reduce the number of elements of the latter without deteriorating its radiation pattern during wide-angle two-coordinate scanning of space with the main lobe. Practical significance. Obtained results can be used to create phased antenna arrays with a reduced number of elements, which will reduce the size, weight and cost of the device.

Spherical phased-array antenna has hemispherical scan coverage for transmission of satellite imagery data at high bit rates to the ground station. Different conditions have been assigned based on their effects on the overall performance of the communication link. Reliability analysis consequently becomes an important requirement of any system onboard a satellite. Although the phased array and some connected algorithms have been presented in the literatures; however, there is no extensive systematic and theoretical performance evaluation framework formulated. In this work, the authors present new method that efficiently and effectively analyses the statistical performance of phased-array antenna systems using spherical harmonics expansion approach. Specifically, the errors caused by limited antenna element number, measurement noise of antenna, imprecision in phased-array antenna elements positioning, and spatial aliasing are systematically and theoretically benchmarked via simulations. Spatial sampling mechanisms for the positioning of array antenna elements on a sphere are presented and evaluated. This study proposed design guide and analysis for spherical phased-array antenna systems, and antenna arrays that do not employ spherical harmonics explicitly.

The capability of a magnetodielectric superstrate to suppress the surface wave propagation is investigated. It is shown that the capacitively loaded loop (CLL) metamaterial (MTM) superstrate exhibits a high degree of surface wave attenuation. One of the important applications of such structure is to reduce the mutual coupling between the microstrip patch elements in array antennas. The results of numerical simulations show a significant reduction in the mutual coupling between the antenna elements. To verify and confirm the simulation results, a prototype of the CLL-MTM superstrate incorporating an array of rectangular patch antennas are fabricated and tested. The proposed two-element array antenna has a dimension of approximately $1.6\lambda \times 0.9\lambda \times 0.16\lambda $ while achieving a gain and an efficiency of 8.2 dB and 97%, respectively. Measurement shows the mutual coupling reduction of over 55 dB. The CLL-MTM superstrate provides the gain and efficiency almost the same of unloaded array antennas with 0.1 dB and 2% changes, respectively.

The focus of this manuscript was to propose a new phased array antenna design for the fifth generation (5G) mobile platforms. Eight elements of compact Quasi-Yagi antennas were placed on the top portion of smartphone printed circuits board (PCB) to form a beam-steerable phased array design. The −10 dB impedance-bandwidth of proposed 5G smartphone antenna spans from 25 GHz to 27 GHz providing 2 GHz bandwidth with less than −16 dB mutual coupling function. A coax-to-microstripline with a truncated crown of vias around the coaxial cable was used as a feeding mechanism for each radiation element. An Arlon Ad 350 substance with properties of ε = 3.5, δ = 0.003, and h = 0.8 mm was chosen as the antenna substrate. The proposed phased array antenna provides wide-angle scanning of 0°~75° with more than 10 dB realized gain levels. For the scanning angle of 0°~60°, the antenna array provides more than 90% (−0.5 dB) radiation and total efficiencies. In addition, the specific absorption rate (SAR) function and radiation performance of the design in the presence of the user-hand/user-hand have been studied. The results validate the feasibility of the proposed design for use in the 5G handheld devices. Furthermore, using the presented Quasi-Yagi elements, the radiation properties of 2 × 2, 4 × 4, and 8 × 8 planar arrays were studied and more than 8.3, 13.5, and 19.3 dBi directivities have been achieved for the designed planar arrays. The results show that the designed arrays (linear & planar) satisfy the general requirements for use in 5G platforms.

Antenna integration and miniaturisation techniques are crucial for maintaining the desired electrical and physical properties of antennas, while meeting the growing demands for reliable link performance and compact device designs for emerging wireless communications. This Special Issue presents recent advances in the theory, analysis, design, and application of antenna integration and miniaturisation. These techniques are enabling diverse novel designs and applications, propelling advancements in integrated circuits, and next-generation wireless communication systems rapidly. The papers in this Special Issue present the state-of-the-art contributions that address the challenges of design, fabrication, and performance enhancement for miniaturised and integrated antennas. This Special Issue includes six high-quality papers, each presenting unique innovations in the field of antenna integration and miniaturisation. Thus, the overall submissions are of high quality, which marks the success of this Special Issue. Ye et al. present a high-gain circularly polarised magneto-electric dipole antenna array with metallic radiating structures for millimetre-wave applications. This paper proposes a novel design of a magneto-electric dipole antenna array for millimetre-wave applications. The novel use of metallic radiating structures helps achieve high gain and circular polarisation, making the proposed design ideal for millimetre-wave communication systems. Truong et al. introduce a method for designing an electrically small printed square loop antenna for closely spaced transmitter-receiver (Tx/Rx) systems. This paper demonstrates a compact antenna design, featuring a simple series combination of two lumped inductors and two interdigitated capacitors, providing inherent impedance matching without the need of an additional matching network. This proposed compact design method is highly relevant for modern and emerging wireless communication systems where space is often limited and confined. Mao et al. propose a null-depth coordinated synthesis design approach for azimuthal null frequency scanning antennas (ANFSAs). A synthesis chart gauged by different null-depths is developed to determine the respective exciting amplitude and phase conditions for the principal and auxiliary radiators. This method provides a promising solution for achieving efficient frequency scanning with an in-band null-depth as high as −30 dB. Choi et al. offer miniaturised ultra-wideband circular polarised Koch fractal crossed dipole array. The design incorporates a Koch fractal structure and an extended metallic sidewall to stabilise the axial ratio (AR) across a wide bandwidth. This innovative approach has significant potential for phased array applications in ultra-wideband (UWB) circularly polarised environments. Xiong et al. present a novel millimetre-wave two-dimensional (2-D) wide-angle scanning phased array antenna based on decoupling surface. This paper proposes a millimetre-wave phased array antenna capable of wide-angle scanning based on decoupling surface (DS). This proposed design overcomes the challenges of mutual coupling between the antenna elements, enhancing the overall scanning range and efficiency of the antenna array. The proposed antenna exhibits promising capabilities for wide-angle beam-scanning implementation in scenarios such as automotive radar and satellite communication. Liang et al. contribute a high-efficiency wideband co-polarised metalens antenna. The paper demonstrates a multilayer metasurface structure comprising five layers of metal patches and four dielectric layers, forming a Fabry–Pérot resonator. This approach offers a compact solution for integrating metasurface technology with traditional antenna design, pushing the limits of antenna miniaturisation while maintaining its high efficiency. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the authors for their outstanding contributions, and to the reviewers for their insightful feedback, which significantly enhanced the quality of this Special Issue. Special thanks are also due to the editorial team at IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation for their invaluable support in managing this publication. Data available on request from the authors.

Ceramic microstrip patch antenna formed using Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) has been investigated. The Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio is used for the simulation. We measured the gain of antennas with two, four, and six elements array of BST antenna and found that the gain of an six elements of BST array antenna was enhanced by about 2.126 dB gain over the four elements of BST array antenna at 2.3 GHz. The impedance bandwidths of these BST array antenna for VSWR <; 2 were in the Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) application range which is 2.3 GHz to 2.5 GHz. Compared with the conventional array antenna with the same aperture size, the performance of the antenna is improved obviously and the design is suitable for array applications for example base station.

In array antennas, sometimes the desired radiation pattern cannot be obtained due to coupling between element antennas, reflections from the surroundings, or amplitude and phase error of the power supply circuits or failures. In these cases, it is necessary to regenerate the desired radiation pattern by estimating the excitation amplitude and phase of the array antennas. Among methods of estimation of the excitation amplitude and phase, the rotation element field vector method of element antennas is used for the phased array antenna with variable phase shifters, and the planar near-field measurement method is used for the array antennas with no variable phase shifters. The former is limited to phased array antennas, and the latter requires a large-scale scanner for the measurement and results in increased measurement time with larger-scale array antennas. In this paper, we propose a method of estimation of excitation amplitude and phase using the radiation pattern of array element antennas and the measured radiation pattern of the array antennas. Two methods are proposed here; the first method of estimation is the least-squares method using the electrical field as the measured radiation pattern, and the second is the repeating calculation method using the electrical power as the measured radiation pattern. We describe here the principle and experimental results when the first method is used, and the principle and the effectiveness of selection of the initial value for the second method is confirmed by numerical results. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 83(9): 102–110, 2000

A 2 × 2 terahertz photoconductive antenna (PCA) array detector with high efficiency synthesis characteristic that improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the detected signals has been reported in this paper. By processing the substrate material through a special micromachining process, the current signal generated by the adjacent antenna elements as opposed to that generated by the antenna gap is eliminated. Experiments show that the amplitude of the current signal output by the PCA array detector is consistent with the amplitude of the synchronous superposition of the current signals output by antenna elements, and the synthesis efficiency of the device achieves 93.7%. At the same time, the antenna array detector has low current noise, and its highest SNR is 62 dB under the excitation of different light energy, which is related to the number of antenna array elements.

At present, many sensors are gradually developing in the direction of ultra-low power consumption, miniaturization, and low cost, which makes radio frequency energy acquisition technology a popular research field with a wide range of applications. However, traditional sensors are generally powered by batteries, which greatly increases the size of the device. Furthermore, antenna is an important module for radio frequency energy acquisition, and optimization of its sensitivity and other performance is particularly important. This article uses HFSS electromagnetic simulation software to simulate antenna elements and arrays made of PTFE, and simulates various parameters. And optimization, an antenna array element whose port impedance characteristics and unit antenna gain both meet the design requirements is constructed. Finally, the gain of the 2×2 array antenna after parameter optimization is 13.8dB, which greatly improves the gain of the receiving antenna.

In the practical application of aircraft, situations are possible when in the on-board radar system (onboard radar) it is not possible to resolve the signals of radar targets in the channels for measuring range, velocity and angular coordinates. In these situations, it is expedient to use superresolution angular estimation procedures in the radar. There are various methods and algorithms for angular estimation with superresolution, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. At the same time, in the available scientific and technical literature there is no information on the superresolution angular estimation algorithms used in the radar, the knowledge of which is necessary in the design of promising radar. The article systematizes and analyzes methods and algorithms for angular estimation with superresolution. A classification of methods of angular estimation with superresolution is given. Generalized information about known one-dimensional and two-dimensional methods and algorithms of angular estimation is presented. The algorithms proposed for use in planar antenna arrays (ARs), concentric annular antenna arrays, ring antenna arrays, circular four-quadrant ARs, planar ARs with a total output signal are considered. It is noted that among the features of the construction of an on-board radar is the reduction in the total number of information processing channels, achieved by combining antenna elements into subarrays, the output signals of which are used to estimate the angular coordinates of radiation sources. The specificity of such antenna arrays is that the antenna subarrays have directional patterns that are narrower than those of weakly directional antenna elements. In addition, the distance between antenna modules can significantly exceed the distance between antenna elements in a conventional antenna array and, at the same time, significantly exceed the wavelength size. To determine the possibilities of practical application of the algorithms of angular two-dimensional estimation with superresolution in an on-board radar with a modular AA, considered in the article, special studies are required.

Planar Beam-forming Antenna Array for 60-GHz Broadband Communication

Focused microwave breast hyperthermia (FMBH) employs a phased antenna array to perform beamforming that can focus microwave energy at targeted breast tumors. Selective heating of the tumor endows the hyperthermia treatment with high accuracy and low side effects. The effect of FMBH is highly dependent on the applied phased antenna array. This work investigates the effect of polarizations of antenna elements on the microwave-focusing results by simulations. We explore two kinds of antenna arrays with the same number of elements using different digital realistic human breast phantoms. The first array has all the elements' polarization in the vertical plane of the breast, while the second array has half of the elements' polarization in the vertical plane and the other half in the transverse plane, i.e., cross polarization. In total, 96 sets of different simulations are performed, and the results show that the second array leads to a better focusing effect in dense breasts than the first array. This work is very meaningful for the potential improvement of the antenna array for FMBH, which is of great significance for the future clinical applications of FMBH. The antenna array with cross polarization can also be applied in microwave imaging and sensing for biomedical applications.

To control the multiple beams in MIMO communication, paper investigated three topology of antenna array. Linear antenna array and planar antenna array formed beams in different direction. Concentric circles planar antenna array were proposed to reduce first side lobe level. Distance between antenna elements influence on the radiation pattern was also discussed. All arrays were fed by Butler network to control amplitude and phase of antenna elements. It was verified that project of MIMO multiple beams was feasible and effective by ADS simulation.

If there is a spread of “parasitic” delays between the elements of the antenna array, more than one fourth of the carrier frequency period, the quality of the reflector image reconstructed by the digital antenna focusing (DAF) method will deteriorate due to non-optimal focusing. The paper proposes a method to take into account the influence of “parasitic” delays between antenna array elements during DFA image reconstruction. Its application allowed to increase the frontal resolving ability of the CFA-image of reflectors approximately twice when using a low-quality antenna array with a range of “parasitic” delays in one period. CFA-images reconstructed taking into account the coherent factor are presented.