Radio Frequency (RF) System Performance and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) in Dynamic Environments

Modern military and commercial aircraft include numerous RF systems and associated antennas. The designed freestanding performance of antennas is typically degraded by their platform installation. Also, the cositing of many RF systems in a small region creates enormous opportunity for inter-system EMI via antenna coupling that can significantly harm receiver performance. As challenging as these problem are to address in integrating antennas into platforms, they are compounded by dynamic factors such as rotating props and rotors, gimbaled and electronically steered antennas, and dynamic EM environments. For example, spinning rotors introduce Doppler spectra in signals that play a complex role during receiver demodulation. This proposal focuses on such dynamic effects. We propose to develop tools based on existing high-fidelity simulation technologies for installed antenna performance and system-level interference assessment that incorporate the effects of the identified dynamic elements. Phase I will focus on development of relevant algorithms and analysis frameworks, including proof-of-concept simulations. In Phase II, we will develop a prototype end-user tool suite, including GUIs emphasizing 2-D/3-D visualization of the problem setup, dynamic conditions, and presentation of dynamic simulation results. Some attention will be devoted toward developing dynamic performance metrics that deliver actionable design and analysis information for engineers.