Abstract
In this contribution, a planar antenna array terminal for mobile satellite communications at Ka-band is proposed. This Earth station on mobile platform uses separate transmit and receive apertures to obtain a flat design well suited for aeronautical applications. Digital beamforming is applied for fast beam scanning, tracking, and enhanced post-processing capabilities. The active antenna elements exhibit dual polarisation to comply with a four-colour spot beam arrangement commonly used by high-throughput satellites. Advanced frontend packaging concepts for a high integration density enable half wavelength element spacing. This prevents grating lobes and yields a large scanning range. A modular approach allows to flexibly adapt the array size to the application specific needs. An 8 × 8 receiver (Rx) array at 20 GHz and a 16 × 3 transmitter array at 30 GHz are demonstrated. The measured results obtained in conjunction with inter-element decoupling validate the approach. The principal suitability of the Rx array for the intended application is tested in a field experiment.
Highlights
Wireless communications have undergone a rapid development in the past decades
Owing to the large difference between the downlink (20 GHz) and uplink (30 GHz) frequencies and to relieve the packaging density Rx and transmitter (Tx) are realised with separate antennas. These are built from modules as this eases fabrication and serviceability, and allows the final antenna size to be flexibly adapted to different system requirements
Rx and Tx are further subdivided into the antenna array, the radio frequency (RF) frontend, the intermediate frequency (IF) circuit, and the analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC) block
Summary
Wireless communications have undergone a rapid development in the past decades. Driven by the progressing usage of mobile computers and smartphones around the globe, a necessity for wireless connections and Internet anywhere we work and live has evolved [1]. Satellite service providers such as iridium and Inmarsat offer worldwide L-band voice and data communication services [2, 3]. Mobile Internet access, e.g. on-board aircrafts, ships, and trains, has become increasingly important For these cases, a groundbased solution for continental flights is offered through Aircell, while Panasonic Avionics and Row 44 rely on Ku-band satellite-based coverage [8]. The alternative is electronic beam scanning using array antennas They offer low-profile and instantaneous scanning as no moving parts are involved. This paper presents a low-profile antenna terminal for mobile satellite communications at Ka-band which makes use of DBF for inertia-free beam scanning in combination with advanced algorithms for improved performance.
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