Timothy G Pelham

Variable Geometry Conformal Antenna Array for Element Comparison

The design of conformal antenna arrays has historically been carried out by warping suitable planar antenna arrays to the desired radius of curvature. There has been little investigation into the effects of characteristic antenna performance on conformal array performance as the radii of curvature is varied. This paper presents a Variable Geometry Conformal Antenna Array Test Rig, designed to allow the investigation of the performance of a variety of antenna types (cavity slot, patch, etc) in a controlled environment. This approach allows direct comparisons to be drawn between each set of antenna elements in the test rig, and also simplifies the model space for Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) modelling, allowing an additional comparison between measured antenna pattern and coupling measurements and modelled results. In this paper measurements of Conformal Cavity Slot antenna elements and Dual Feed Dual Patch antenna elements are presented.

FDTD model performance analysis for a Cavity Slot Antenna array in a variable geometry conformal test rig

In the pursuit of cost effective conformal antenna array design, an efficient and fast Finite-Difference Time Domain (FDTD) model is a highly desirable tool. This paper evaluates the performance of the University of Bristol Electrical Engineering Departments FDTD Model. The model is used to predict the antenna array patterns and inter element coupling for a variety of different antenna arrays in a variable geometry conformal antenna array test rig. A performance analysis and a comparison of measurements using the test rig with predictions using FDTD modelling is presented for the Cavity Slot Antenna Element.

Link performance evaluation for mm-Wave systems

This paper presents a link performance study for mmWave systems at 60 GHz. The study is based on mmWave wireless modem measurements. The system performance is characterized by means of common metrics such as packet delivery rate, Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and throughput. The effect of spatial and polarisation diversity/multiplexing is explored, considering various modulation and coding schemes (MCS). Based on our findings, spatial diversity mostly impacts the quasi/non-Line-of-Sight (LoS) locations, whereas the gain from polarization diversity is more significant for horizontal polarized transmitters. Finally, results are compared to results from a channel measurements campaigns, performed at the University of Bristol at the same time, showing similar SNR trends, and thus empowering the validity of our results.