Development and coupling analysis of active skin antenna

Abstract

An active skin antenna is a multifunctional composite structure that can provide load-bearing structure and steerable beam pointing functions, and is usually installed in the structural surface of aircraft, warships, and armored vehicles. This paper presents an innovative design of the active skin antenna, which consists of a package layer, control and signal processing layer, and RF (radio frequency) layer. The RF layer is fabricated by low temperature co-fired ceramics, with 64 microstrip antenna elements, tile transmitting and receiving modules, microchannel heat sinks, and feeding networks integrated into a functional block 2.8 mm thick. In this paper, a full-sized prototype of an active skin antenna was designed, fabricated, and tested. Moreover, a coupling analysis method was presented to evaluate the mechanical and electromagnetic performance of the active skin antenna subjected to aerodynamic loads. A deformed experimental system was built to validate the effectiveness of the coupling analysis method, which was also implemented to evaluate the performance of the active skin antenna when subjected to aerodynamic pressure. The fabricated specimen demonstrated structural configuration feasibility, and superior environmental load resistance.

Adaptive Correction for Radiation Patterns of Deformed Phased Array Antenna

“…Suppose a planar APAA with M rows and N columns, and the intervals of array elements are d x and d y , respectively. According to the superposition principle of APAA [19], the radiating electric field can be described as follow…”

Efficient Sensor Placement Optimization for Shape Deformation Sensing of Antenna Structures with Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensors

“…The performance requirements of modern airborne and spaceborne antennas are continuously increasing. As a primary load-carrying component, the deformation of antenna structures caused by external loads in service degrades antenna radiation patterns (i.e., electrical performance) [ 35 , 36 , 37 ]. However, the existing antenna structure cannot preserve the radiation patterns as the changes of the antenna shape, due to the lack of the adaptive shape deformation sensing and radiation-pattern-correction function.…”

Design, Fabrication, and Testing of Active Skin Antenna with 3D Printing Array Framework

“…This multidisciplinary effort has developed a new high payoff technique known as the skin antenna [1][2][3]. The skin antenna provides a new paradigm where the structural surface becomes an antenna, and it is not only a microwave device receiving or sending electromagnetic waves but also a load-bearing structure [2].…”

“…Almostand printing circuit board (PCB) are utilized to fabricate the active skin antenna. For example, in [3], LTCC was applied to fabricate the RF layer (containing antenna elements, feeding networks, low-noise amplifiers, phase shifters, and power amplifiers) of the active skin antenna. In [2], the substrate Rogers 5880 was applied to fabricate the antenna array embedded in the skin structure.…”

“…The motivation of this investigation is to provide the design and fabrication technology of a new active skin antenna structure for wireless communications of mobile vehicles such as aircraft, highspeed train, car, and ship. Compared with the active skin antenna in [2,3], the proposed antenna has the following advantages such as low cost, easy maintenance, and flexible use and reuse of antenna elements. In addition, the active skin antenna prototype with 32 microstrip antenna elements was fabricated by using a hybrid manufacturing method.…”