May 23 - July 29
Analysis and Improvement of a Six-Axis Robotic Scanner for Millimeter-Wave Active Phased Array Antenna Calibration
Robert Baines, Jorge Salazar, and Rodrigo Lebron
What is already known:
- Phased array radars are the next logical step in both weather and military radars.
- Current work is optimizing phased array radar performance to match that of conventional radar.
What this study adds:
- This study provides a never-before created novel setup that enables comprehensive phased array radar calibration characterization under varying temperature conditions.
- This laboratory study is an important step toward full-scale phased array radar implementation in realistic conditions.
Abstract:
Herein, a novel proof-of-concept experimental setup proposed by Dr. Salazar at the Radar Innovations Laboratory was constructed and optimized to assess the effects of temperature variations on phased array radar calibration. The system is fully automated and programmable with a graphical user interface and allows surface, thermal, and radio frequency characterization. The controllable hardware consists of an environmental chamber and a robot arm mounted with an infrared camera, high definition camera, laser, and radio frequency scanner that perform automated analysis of a chosen antenna under test. This paper, in addition to describing the experimental setup in detail, catalogues the analysis and amelioration of system parameters.