High efficiency ground station antenna for multi-band telemetry applications

ABSTRACT:The existing antenna used for telemetry application has 50% antenna efficiency and large aperture size. Aurora is going to propose to design a new antenna with a smaller form factor and keep a good level of antenna efficiency by the proposed technologies. During the Phase I Program, Aurora will design and fabricate an antenna prototype using the proposed technology. Testing and manufacturing principals for the proposed improvement solutions will be developed as part of the Phase I Program. We will review the antenna performance based on the link budget of the customer system and adjust the design strategy based on performance impacts. A software testbed will be designed in phase I to simulate and compare the performance of collected data from numerical simulation and lab measurement. Recurring labor and qualitative manufacturing data will be collected during manufacture of the prototype which will be used to evaluate cost and developed manufacturing processes. Based on test and fabrication results, the antenna system design and manufacturing principals will be revised in preparation for the fabrication of a large-scale article during the Phase II Program.BENEFIT:Successful completion of this program will result in developing and commercializing miniaturized, efficient, directional, and wideband antennas for the future wireless systems. The 4G advanced/5G wireless network will be the next-generation wireless communications mainstream. The proposed antenna design can be used for microwave backhaul and provide high speed transmission and low-profile installation due to its high efficiency and small form factor. Examples of other military programs that can benefit from this technology include the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, foliage and ground penetration radars, the Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS), SIGINT radio, and SATCOM etc. If technically the project is successful, we will approach large, established companies in this market segment with the goal of licensing our technology and possible collaboration for their R&D efforts.