An Improved Gain Wing-Integrated Antenna Design for Meridian UAS and Sensor-Driven Wing Sizing Approach

• Main Author: Patil, Ankur Santaji
• Other Authors: Arnold, Emily J, Barrett, Ron, Hale, Richard
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Kansas 2017
• Subjects: Aerospace engineering; Arctic; Antarctic; Antarc*; Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS)
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1808/25863; http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:15163

Ice sheets in Antarctic and Arctic regions are undergoing rapid changes, causing a rise in sea level with direct impacts on society and the global system. Airborne remote sensing offers a robust way to study changes occurring in this region and the effects on climate. The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has flown many missions in polar regions to collect data on bed topography, basal conditions, and deep internal layers by using high-sensitivity radar and advanced processing algorithms. The goal of the current study is two-fold. First, a new wing-integrated antenna concept is developed for the Meridian, an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) designed at the University of Kansas. Second, preliminary wing-sizing equations are derived from wing-integrated antenna performance analyses. The purpose of both studies is to improve both current and future UAS sensor-platforms used for remote sensing applications, such as those currently supported by CReSIS. An improved design of a wing-integrated airborne antenna array is presented by performing an antenna trade study for three low-profile antennas. This study seeks to improve not only the gain of the antenna system but the aircraft performance by developing a structurally-embedded design. Three candidate antenna designs are carried forward to the detailed design stage. These designs include a planar dipole embedded in the lower wing skin of the vehicle, a planar dipole offset a quarter-wavelength from the conductive lower wing-skin via a custom support structure, and a quarter-wave patch antenna integrated inside the wing. Considering the existing wing size limitations for antenna array integration into the Meridian wing, two different designs are recommended—the first design strictly optimizing antenna performance for the given wing size limitations and the second design improving both the electrical and vehicle performance over the original design. The planar dipole antenna offset from a ground plane offers the best results in terms of antenna performance ...