Design and testing of compact dual-band dual-polarized robust satellite navigation antenna arrays

Die steigende Nachfrage nach präzisen Positionierlösungen für hochautomatisiertes Fahren und sicherheitskritische Anwendungen führt zu der Verwendung von Array-basierten Satellitennavigationsempfängern, die aufgrund des verbesserten Diversity-Gewinns und der potentiellen Strahlformungsfähigkeit eine bessere Leistung aufweisen. Die Notwendigkeit, die Robustheit von Navigationsempfängern gegenüber Quellen von Signalstörungen, wie Mehrwegempfang, atmosphärische, sowie Jamming- und Spoofing, zu verbessern, verlangt, den Empfänger weiter auszubauen, um Polarisations- und Frequenz-Diversity auszunutzen. Das hieraus resultierende Design ist durch eine signifikante Zunahme der Hardware- und Softwarekomplexität gekennzeichnet. Diese Komplexität steigt noch mit dem Trend, den Navigationsempfänger zu miniaturisieren, um die Integration in Fahrzeugen oder mobilen Systemen zu erleichtern. Da die gegenseitige Verkopplung zwischen den Antennenelementen eines kompakten Antennen- Arrays steigt, verschlechtert sich deren Strahlungseffizienz und Polarisationsreinheit und damit die Systemrobustheit. In dieser Arbeit wird ein kompaktes, dualbandiges und dualpolarisiertes Antennenarray für einen Navigationsempfänger untersucht, schaltungstechnisch entworfen und aufgebaut, womit Array-, Frequenz-, und Polarisations-Diversity ermöglicht wird. Dies führt zu einer signifikant verbesserten Robustheit gegenüber den angesprochenen Störungen. Diese Arbeit umfasst das Design des dualbandigen und dualpolarisierten Patchantennenelements, das Design des kompakten Antennenarrays, das Studium der Kreuzpolarisationsquellen in Patchantennen, die Analyse des Einflusses der gegenseitigen Kopplung auf die Strahlungseffizienz und Polarisationsreinheit, und die Abschwächung beider Effekte durch eigenmode-basierten Entkopplungs- und Anpassungsnetzwerken. Darüber hinaus beinhaltet die Arbeit die Integration des Antennensystems mit einem HF-Frontend zur Leistungsverstärkung, Filterung und Signalkonvertierung der Satellitensignale. Die Arbeit umfasst auch die Integration mit einem Array-basierten digitalen Empfänger, in dem neben der Datenerfassung, auch die Richtungsschätzung, das Beamforming und die Anti-Jamming-Algorithmen implementiert wurden. Die Machbarkeit sowohl der Array-Diversity als auch der Polarisations-Diversity wurde in Automotive-related Feldmessungen bestätigt, insbesondere für Elevationswinkel unter 40 bzw. 60 Grad, wo der Einfluss des Mehrwegempfangs ausreichend hohe Pegel erreicht. Die Messungen bestätigten die Robustheit des Empfängers gegenüber Stör- Nutzsignalverhältnissen von bis zu 85 dB und übertrafen damit mehrere "State-of-the-Art" Empfänger.The increasing demand for accurate positioning solutions for highly-automated driving and safety-critical applications motivates the use of array-based satellite navigation receivers that feature better performance, due to the enhanced diversity gain and the potential beamforming capability. The need for improving the robustness of navigation receivers against sources of signal distortion such as multipath propagation, atmospheric impact, jamming, and spoofing violations requests to extend the receiver to exploit polarization and frequency diversities. The resulting design is challenged by the significant rise in hardware and software complexity. This complexity increases even more with the trend to miniaturize the navigation receiver, to ease the integration in vehicles or mobile systems, because mutual coupling rises between the radiating elements of the receiver, and deteriorates their radiation efficiencies and polarization purities, and hence degrades the system robustness. In this thesis, a compact dual-band dual-polarized array-based navigation receiver that uses array diversity, frequency diversity, and polarization diversity is studied and designed, to provide robustness against the different types of distortions. The main contributions of the presented work include the design of the dual-band dual-polarized patch antenna element, the design of the compact antenna array, the study of the cross-polarization sources in patch antennas, the analysis of the mutual coupling impact on radiation efficiency and polarization purity of radiating elements, and the mitigation of both impacts using eigenmode-based decoupling and matching networks. Furthermore, the work also involves the integration of the antenna system with an RF-IF front-end, developed in cooperation with IMMS GmbH, for power amplification, filtering, and down-converting. The dissertation covers also the integration with an array-based digital receiver, developed in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), to implement data acquisition, direction-of-arrival estimation, beamforming, and anti-jamming algorithms. The feasibility of both the array diversity and the polarization diversity was confirmed in automotive-related field measurements, particularly for elevations below 40 and 60 degrees, respectively; i.e., at directions far from the main beam direction of the even mode of the array (at zenith), and where the impact of multipath propagation on strength and polarization of the signal reaches sufficient levels to disturb the receiver. Measurements proved the receiver robustness against jamming-to-signal ratios up to 85 dB, outperforming several state-of-the-art receivers described in literature

Radio Frequency Interference Impact Assessment on Global Navigation Satellite Systems

The Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen of the EC Joint Research Centre (IPSC-JRC) has been mandated to perform a study on the Radio Frequency (RF) threat against telecommunications and ICT control systems. This study is divided into two parts. The rst part concerns the assessment of high energy radio frequency (HERF) threats, where the focus is on the generation of electromagnetic pulses (EMP), the development of corresponding devices and the possible impact on ICT and power distribution systems. The second part of the study concerns radio frequency interference (RFI) with regard to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). This document contributes to the second part and contains a detailed literature study disclosing the weaknesses of GNSS systems. Whereas the HERF analysis only concerns intentional interference issues, this study on GNSS also takes into account unintentional interference, enlarging the spectrum of plausible interference scenarios.JRC.DG.G.6-Security technology assessmen

A Survey of Satellite Communications System Vulnerabilities

The U.S. military’s increasing reliance on commercial and military communications satellites to enable widely-dispersed, mobile forces to communicate makes these space assets increasingly vulnerable to attack by adversaries. Attacks on these satellites could cause military communications to become unavailable at critical moments during a conflict. This research dissected a typical satellite communications system in order to provide an understanding of the possible attacker entry points into the system, to determine the vulnerabilities associated with each of these access points, and to analyze the possible impacts of these vulnerabilities to U.S. military operations. By understanding these vulnerabilities of U.S. communications satellite systems, methods can be developed to mitigate these threats and protect future systems. This research concluded that the satellite antenna is the most vulnerable component of the satellite communications system’s space segment. The antenna makes the satellite vulnerable to intentional attacks such as: RF jamming, spoofing, meaconing, and deliberate physical attack. The most vulnerable Earth segment component was found to be the Earth station network, which incorporates both Earth station and NOC vulnerabilities. Earth segment vulnerabilities include RF jamming, deliberate physical attack, and Internet connection vulnerabilities. The most vulnerable user segment components were found to be the SSPs and PoPs. SSPs are subject to the vulnerabilities of the services offered, the vulnerabilities of Internet connectivity, and the vulnerabilities associated with operating the VSAT central hub. PoPs are susceptible to the vulnerabilities of the PoP routers, the vulnerabilities of Internet and Intranet connectivity, and the vulnerabilities associated with cellular network access

Application of advanced on-board processing concepts to future satellite communications systems: Bibliography

Abstracts are presented of a literature survey of reports concerning the application of signal processing concepts. Approximately 300 references are included

Compact adaptive planar antenna arrays for robust satellite navigation systems

In den zurückliegenden zwei Jahrzehnten ist die Abhängigkeit der Industriegesellschaft von satellitengestützten Ortungssystemen, Navigationsdiensten und Zeitsignalen dramatisch gewachsen. Darauf aufbauende moderne Anwendungen reichen von hochgenauen Ortungsgeräten bis zu intelligenten Transportsystemen und von der Synchronisation mobiler Netzwerke zu Wetter- und Klimabeobachtung. Dies setzt neue höhere Standards in der Robustheit, Genauigkeit, Verfügbarkeit und Verlässlichkeit moderner Navigationsempfänger voraus. Möglich werden diese Verbesserungen aktuell mit der Einführung von Multiantennensystemen in den Navigationsgeräten. Jedoch wird die Nutzung dieses Ansatzes durch die größeren Abmessungen der Antennenarrays erschwert, weil standardmäßig der Elementabstand zu einer halben Freiraumwellenlänge gewählt wird, was im L Band ca. 10 cm bedeutet. In dieser Arbeit werden kompakte Antennenarrays für Navigationsempfänger mit geringerem Elementabstand vorgeschlagen, die eine Miniaturisierung der Empfängerabmessungen erlauben. Diese kompakten Arrays werden in ihrer Leistungsfähigkeit jedoch durch die negativen Effekte der Verkopplung zwischen den Einzelelementen beeinträchtigt. Für die Beurteilung der Empfängerleistungsfähigkeit existieren verschiedene Qualitätsparameter für Analyse und Entwurf der planaren Arrays. Damit werden z. B. Diversity Freiheitsgrade, Qualität der Richtungsschätzung, Polarisationsreinheit und die wechselseitigen Kopplungen gemessen und eine Entwurfsumgebung wird vorgestellt, in der das optimale kompakte Antennenarray für den jeweiligen Einsatzzweck ausgewählt und konfiguriert werden kann. Dieser Prozess wird durch eine Analyse des Rauschens und seiner Korrelationseigenschaften für den gesamten Empfänger begleitet. Darüber hinaus wird ein analytisches Modell des effektiven carrier-to-interference-plus-noise ratio abgeleitet, um die Leistungsfähigkeit der Navigationsempfänger in Szenarien mit Störsignalen zu untersuchen. Schließlich werden diese Betrachtungen durch den Aufbau eines kompletten Satellitennavigationsempfängers ergänzt, um mit ihm den Nachweis der Funktionsfähigkeit und der stabilen Funktion des entworfenen Systems mit kompaktem Array unter Störereinfluss bei Laborbedingungen und in den reale Außeneinsatz zu erbringen.Over the past two decades, humankind's reliance on global navigation satellite systems for precise positioning, navigation and timing services has grown remarkably. Such advanced applications vary from highly accurate surveying to intelligent transport systems, and from mobile network timing synchronization to weather and climate monitoring. This envisages new and higher standards of robustness, accuracy, coverage and integrity in modern navigation receivers. Recently, this has been accomplished with the incorporation of the multi-element navigation antenna receiver. However, the industrialization of this approach is limited due to the large antenna array size, hindered by the inter-element separation of half of the free-space wavelength, i.e. ≈ 10 cm at L band 1-2 GHz. In this thesis, compact navigation antenna arrays with smaller inter-element separations are proposed for the miniaturization of the overall size. However, these arrays become afflicted with the adverse effects of mutual coupling. Therefore, various figures-of-merit for the analysis and design of a compact planar navigation antenna array, such as performance diversity degrees-of-freedom, directional finding capabilities, and polarization purity, including mutual coupling effects, have been presented. This provides a general framework for the selection and configuration of the optimum compact navigation antenna array. In order to mitigate the mutual coupling, integration of the decoupling and matching network into customized compact navigation antenna array designs is performed. This is fostered by the correlated noise characterization of the complete receiver. Furthermore, an analytical model of the equivalent carrier-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is derived to investigate the navigation performance in interference scenarios. In the end, this is complemented by the implementation of the complete navigation receiver for verification and robustness validation of the derived compact antenna array concepts in indoor and outdoor interference scenarios

Advanced satellite communication technology for oceanic air traffic control

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 69).by Edward H. Kim.M.Eng

Cyber-Human Systems, Space Technologies, and Threats

CYBER-HUMAN SYSTEMS, SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, AND THREATS is our eighth textbook in a series covering the world of UASs / CUAS/ UUVs / SPACE. Other textbooks in our series are Space Systems Emerging Technologies and Operations; Drone Delivery of CBNRECy – DEW Weapons: Emerging Threats of Mini-Weapons of Mass Destruction and Disruption (WMDD); Disruptive Technologies with applications in Airline, Marine, Defense Industries; Unmanned Vehicle Systems & Operations On Air, Sea, Land; Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technologies and Operations; Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Cyber Domain: Protecting USA’s Advanced Air Assets, 2nd edition; and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the Cyber Domain Protecting USA’s Advanced Air Assets, 1st edition. Our previous seven titles have received considerable global recognition in the field. (Nichols & Carter, 2022) (Nichols, et al., 2021) (Nichols R. K., et al., 2020) (Nichols R. , et al., 2020) (Nichols R. , et al., 2019) (Nichols R. K., 2018) (Nichols R. K., et al., 2022)https://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/1052/thumbnail.jp

A Vision and Framework for the High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) Networks of the Future

A High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) is a network node that operates in the stratosphere at an of altitude around 20 km and is instrumental for providing communication services. Precipitated by technological innovations in the areas of autonomous avionics, array antennas, solar panel efficiency levels, and battery energy densities, and fueled by flourishing industry ecosystems, the HAPS has emerged as an indispensable component of next-generations of wireless networks. In this article, we provide a vision and framework for the HAPS networks of the future supported by a comprehensive and state-of-the-art literature review. We highlight the unrealized potential of HAPS systems and elaborate on their unique ability to serve metropolitan areas. The latest advancements and promising technologies in the HAPS energy and payload systems are discussed. The integration of the emerging Reconfigurable Smart Surface (RSS) technology in the communications payload of HAPS systems for providing a cost-effective deployment is proposed. A detailed overview of the radio resource management in HAPS systems is presented along with synergistic physical layer techniques, including Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN) signaling. Numerous aspects of handoff management in HAPS systems are described. The notable contributions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in HAPS, including machine learning in the design, topology management, handoff, and resource allocation aspects are emphasized. The extensive overview of the literature we provide is crucial for substantiating our vision that depicts the expected deployment opportunities and challenges in the next 10 years (next-generation networks), as well as in the subsequent 10 years (next-next-generation networks).Comment: To appear in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorial

A study of future directions for the Voice of America in the changing world of international broadcasting

"10 February 1983. -- Rev. 25 April 1983." On title page: MIT Research Program on Communications Policy.Prepared for The Voice of America. IA-20076-23 MIT OSP ; 92012John E. Ward, Ithiel de Sola Pool, Richard J. Solomon