Radar 2022 : Antenna Array Design for Complex Platforms
Date:
Tutorial : Radar 2022 - Antenna Array Design for Complex Platforms
A tutorial on antenna array design for complex platforms at Radar 2022 in Edinburgh. As the demand for integrated radar systems increases, there is a commensurate need for consistent model based approaches to the design and integration of antennas and antenna arrays in the overall platform and system models. On mobile platforms, the interior volume and surface footprint available to sensors is a critical resource, while for fixed structures, the influence of the local environment must be considered if a proposed radar system is to meet the desired system performance requirements.
Outline
As the demand for integrated radar systems increases, there is a commensurate need for consistent model based approaches to the design and integration of antennas and antenna arrays in the overall platform and system models. On mobile platforms, the interior volume and surface footprint available to sensors is a critical resource, while for fixed structures, the influence of the local environment must be considered if a proposed radar system is to meet the desired system performance requirements.
What is required is a model based work flow which allows the designer to evaluate the influence of these factors together with the behaviour of the host platform itself to ensure that the proposed antenna array will be able to meet the requirements before detail array design is begun. In addition, the beamforming architecture of the antenna array contribute a significant fraction of the cost of the radar system, and thus the influence of different architectures on the antenna array performance need to be considered.
The tutorial will introduce current work in antenna array design and virtual prototyping, including the influence of array polarisation, transmit-receive architecture, beamforming algorithms and overall geometry within the context of a host platform and its desired function. In addition, the tutorial will use LyceanEM, an open source python tool designed to support rapid virtual prototyping of antennas and antenna arrays both for isolated systems and in the context of complex platforms and environments. This will allow the attendee to explore the consequences of different design decisions from the examples at their leisure. Examples of antenna arrays for radar which will be considered include Airborne Early Warning, Maritime, and Distributed Apertures for Sensing and Communications.
Key Learning Points
As the demand for integrated radar systems increases, there is a commensurate need for consistent model based approaches to the design and integration of antennas and antenna arrays in the overall platform and system models. Using worked examples, the tutorial aims to provide the attendee with the knowledge base required to make reasoned decisions about antenna array placement and geometry on complex platforms, with reference to the requirements for the function or functions it serves.
Moving from conceptually simple planar antenna arrays on rotators for primary surveillance radar, to distributed conformal antenna arrays for use as multi-function communications and sensing applications. The attendee will learn the principles of systems requirement driven array design, and be introduced to open source tools (LyceanEM) which support rapid virtual prototyping of antennas and antenna arrays.