Sensor-Driven Preliminary Wing Ground Plane Sizing Approach and Applications

Ankur S Patil,Emily J Arnold

doi:10.1155/2018/6378635

Abstract

Structurally integrated antenna arrays provide synergies allowing the integration of large apertures onto airborne platforms. However, the surrounding airframe can greatly impact the performance of the antenna array. This paper presents a sensor-driven preliminary wing ground plane sizing approach to provide insight into the implications of design decisions on payload performance. The improvement of a wing-integrated antenna array that utilizes the wing as a ground plane motivated this study. Relationships for wing span, wing chord, and thickness are derived from extensive parametric electromagnetic simulations based on optimum antenna performance. It is expected that these equations would be used after an initial wing-loading design point has been selected to provide the designer guidance into how various wing parameters might affect the integrated antenna performance.

Highlights

Airborne remote sensing using active radars has become an effective tool in geoscience fields for conducting Earth observations [1,2,3]
The key role of a ground plane in antenna array performance inspired an investigation into a sensor-driven preliminary wing sizing methodology
Based on ideal antenna performance, relationships were derived for wing span, chord, and thickness

Summary

Introduction

Airborne remote sensing using active radars has become an effective tool in geoscience fields for conducting Earth observations [1,2,3]. This study aims to provide a foundation to integrate sensor-based design considerations into typical aircraft design processes, such as those in [27, 28] This type of sensor-driven design approach could be an incredibly valuable tool for future vehicle design— for UAS, as the purpose of these vehicles is to carry sensors and there is little reason to fly the vehicle if the payload does not meet performance requirements. These results are used as the foundation to develop wing sizing relationships for optimal antenna performance.

Sensor-Driven Preliminary Wing Sizing

GHz 2 GHz

Application of Sensor Study

Findings

Conclusion