Microwave Sensor for Detection of Ice Accretion on Base Station Antenna Radome

Abstract

Deposition of atmospheric ice on critical surfaces such as aircraft and drones wings, roads, runways, and wind turbine-blades, may cause severe issues if not precisely detected. Ice accumulation on antennas (including remote GPS antennas, radio broadcasting antennas, and mobile communication antennas) affects their performance. With the roll-out of 5G, mobile communication systems are becoming more susceptible to the environmental effects that influence them. The accumulation of ice on a base station (BS) antenna may increase its bit error rate, reduce the data rate, and shrink cell size. In brief, it reduces the overall performance of the communication system. Currently, various ice detecting techniques based on ultrasonic, optics, vibration, and electromagnetics are available. This research discusses the in-depth development of ice detection using a microstrip patch antenna (MSPA). The proposed sensor is especially suitable for sensing the ice accumulation on an antenna radome. Thorough simulations and measurements regarding the sensor are discussed in this article. The sensor's optimization and its performance evaluation are also included in this research. The sensor detects the accumulated ice's thickness by the variation in the amplitude of its antenna's reflection coefficient. This method's foremost advantage is that the BS-antenna itself may be used as an ice accumulation sensor if it is composed of an MSPA array; thus, considerably reducing the ice sensing cost. This work provides a potential solution for ice accretion detection for antenna radome as well as other applications.