Experimental prototype of mesh antenna based on digital twin technology

Abstract

The ring mesh antenna plays an important role in the field of aerospace communication owing to its excellent performance characteristics, but faces the challenge of decreasing profile accuracy due to environmental and structural failures during in-orbit operation. Digital twin, a promising technology, can effectively monitor and adjust the antenna surface accuracy. In other words, by creating a digital model of the physical entity, real-time monitoring and adjustment can be made to maintain the electrical performance of the antenna. In this paper, a digital twin system for an experimental prototype of a ring mesh antenna is proposed. Firstly, we introduce the preliminaries of digital twin technology. Secondly, we propose a system framework based on a five-dimensional digital twin model. Then, a digitization software and a visualization interface are developed. Finally, according to efficiency analysis and simulation results, the feasibility of the system was verified. We demonstrate its effectiveness in terms of real-time monitoring and automatic mesh adjustment functions, and significantly improve the efficiency of the adjustment process. It provides a reference with significant value for the application of digital twin technology in the field of aerospace communication, which significantly advances the development of this field.