Foldable Lightweight Parabolic Antenna (FLPA) for Navigation and Communication Applications

ABSTRACT: To meet Air Force's need for a light-weight, foldable and high gain transmit/receive antenna for navigation and communication, PaneraTech is proposing a unique ultra-light high gain antenna design based on foldable parabolic reflector. This technology is based on extremely light and flexible conductive materials for the reflector surface, and light-weight high-strength carbon fiber/polymer based structural support components. Its modular feed enables several other communication applications using the same foldable reflector surface; thus, creating a multitude of commercial opportunities in the civilian market. PaneraTech employs custom built GPS satellite constellation software to determine the minimum beamwidth required to view at least one of the GPS satellites when the antenna is pointed in the sky in random direction at any place and time on the earth. This information will feed into the reflector design to achieve the required beamwidth and minimum of 4dBic gain for the enhanced GPS navigation. BENEFIT: The proposed Foldable Lightweight Parabolic Antenna (FLPA) has tremendous commercial applications in the defense and civilian markets. While its potential applications in the DoD is clear, in the civilian market, it has a potential application as a communication enhancement technology for satellite telecom service providers such as Iridium, Globalstar etc. Current subscribers of the satellite telecom customers who rely on a bulky monopole antenna attached to their phones and receive poor service due to high interference, foliage etc, will be able to use FLPA as a high gain antenna for improved telecom service. Search and rescue teams who work in remote fields will also find this technology vital to their needs for enhanced telecom and navigation services.