Antenna design of a radar phased array using drone swarms

Sammanfattning

A distributed phased array allows full position freedom of the individual radar system nodes, still resulting in corporative and cohesive measurements. Recent and ongoing advancements in synchronization between the radar system nodes make the implementation of such a system increasingly feasible. To fully exploit the freedom of node placement, the use of drones as system carriers is investigated. The use of drones offer efficient maneuvering, enabling fast position adjustments and increases access to areas typically hard to reach. However, implementing such a system is not without challenges. These include insuring coherence between the system nodes as well as integrating the system at the drone with limited space and load capacity. In this thesis, antennas are proposed to be installed on the drone. The result is based on simulations, and include a modeled drone along with the antenna, feed and mounting arrangements. One of the proposed designs, the half-wavelength dipole antenna, yields a lightweight solution with desired radiation properties for a potential radar application. This design supports a distributed phased array forming a common wavefront.