Journal of Space Science and Technology

Journal of Space Science and Technology

A Reconfigurable and Steerable Horn Antenna Using Plasma Dielectric Slabs for Controllable Gain and Beam Steering

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors
1 PhD Student, , Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Aerospace Research Institute, Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, Tehran, Iran
4 Professor, University of Rennes 1, Rennes, France
Abstract
This paper presents a novel approach for designing a reconfigurable and steerable antenna utilizing plasma dielectric slabs along the aperture of a pyramidal horn antenna. The antenna provides electronic control over the radiation gain and the direction of the main beam. The proposed configuration consists of four plasma slabs aligned perpendicular to the horn aperture along the horn axis, supplemented by four diagonally connected plasma slabs. Each plasma slab can be independently switched on or off, enabling dynamic adjustment of the radiation gain and steering of the main beam.Numerical investigations demonstrate that toggling the plasma slabs or controlling the plasma frequency allows precise control over the pyramidal horn antenna's radiation gain and beam steering. Selecting appropriate dimensions and angles for the plasma slabs is crucial in achieving the desired beam steering angle and radiation gain control. To validate the concept, the proposed antenna configuration is designed and numerically simulated at a frequency of 10 GHz. The results indicate that the radiation gain of the antenna can be significantly enhanced, reaching up to 6.5 dBi, and the main beam direction can be steered within a range of ±12°.This research presents a promising approach for achieving reconfigurability and beam steering capabilities in antenna systems by utilizing plasma dielectric slabs. The proposed design offers enhanced performance and flexibility, making it suitable for various applications in antenna technology. The ability to control beam steering and radiation gain without mechanical devices is essential in satellite and space communications.
Keywords
Subjects

Article Title Persian

بازپیکربندی و هدایت پرتو در آنتن شیپوری با استفاده از تیغه های دی الکتریک پلاسمایی باهدف کنترل مقدار بهره و جهت پرتو تشعشعی

Authors Persian

جعفر بذرافشان 1
فاطمه صادقی کیا 2
علی کرمی هرستانی 3
محمد هیمدی 4
1 دانشجوی دکتری، پژوهشگاه هوافضا، وزارت علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری، تهران، ایران
2 دانشیار، پژوهشگاه هوافضا، وزارت علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری، تهران، ایران
3 استادیار، پژوهشگاه هوافضا، وزارت علوم، تحقیقات و فناوری، تهران، ایران
4 استاد، دانشگاه رنِس 1، رنس، فرانسه
Abstract Persian

در مقاله حاضر، مبتنی بر استفاده از دی‌­الکتریک‌­های پلاسمایی در امتداد روزنه آنتن شیپوری هرمی، آنتن جدیدی معرفی می­‌شود که دارای قابلیت بازپیکربندی و کنترل­‌پذیری در مقدار بهره و جهت پرتو تشعشعی است. در این آنتن، چهار تیغه­ پلاسمایی عمود بر دهانه روزنه و در امتداد محور آنتن و چهار تیغه­ پلاسمایی دیگر به­‌صورت مورب با تیغه­‌های پلاسمایی قبل قرار دارند. برخورداری از قابلیت روشن و خاموش شدن مستقل هر تیغه و یا کنترل مقدار فرکانس پلاسما در تیغه­‌ها سبب می­‌شود در هر حالت امکان هدایت پرتو تشعشعی و نیز کنترل مقدار بهره برای آنتن وجود داشته باشد. تحلیل­‌های پارامتری در خصوص گسترش طول تیغه­‌های پلاسمایی و زاویه­ آن‌ها نشان می­‌دهد که انتخاب مقادیر اولیه مناسب برای ابعاد و زاویه تیغه‌­ها نقش مهمی در بازه زاویه‌­ای هدایت پرتو و مقدار بهره تشعشعی آنتن دارد. این ساختار برای آنتن شیپوری هرمی در فرکانس مرکزی GHz 10 طراحی ‌شده است و امکان طراحی آن برای سایر بازه‌­های فرکانسی نیز وجود دارد. در نمونه طراحی‌شده، مقدار کنترل‌پذیری بهره تشعشعی با استفاده از تیغه­‌های پلاسمایی dB 5/6 و حداکثر میزان هدایت پرتو تشعشعی تا 12± درجه مشاهده ‌شده است. تغییر جهت پرتو آنتن بدون استفاده از ادوات مکانیکی و کنترل بهره تشعشعی آن، با هدف کاهش هزینه سیستم‌­های مخابراتی و مصرف بهینه توان الکتریکی، در ارتباطات فضایی و کاربردهای راداری بسیار حائز اهمیت است.

Keywords Persian

آنتن شیپوری هرمی
تیغه های دی الکتریک پلاسمایی
هدایت پرتو تشعشعی
کنترل بهره
آنتن دارای قابلیت بازپیکربندی
آنتن دارای قابلیت هدایت پرتو
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Volume 17, Issue 3
2024
Pages 28-44

  • Receive Date 17 July 2023
  • Revise Date 18 September 2023
  • Accept Date 25 September 2023
  • First Publish Date 25 September 2023