Distributed Heterogeneous Conformal Meter-Wave Phased Array Using Characteristic Mode for Airship Platform
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https://doi.org/10.13052/2025.ACES.J.401102关键词:
Characteristic mode (CM), distributed heterogeneous array, meter-wave, platform-integrated antenna摘要
This paper presents an advanced characteristic mode (CM)-based synthesis and optimization framework for designing conformal meter-wave phased array antennas on airship platforms. Unlike previous studies that focused on planar or small UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) surfaces, this work extends CM analysis to a large-scale, irregular, fully metallic airship structure in the low-frequency band. The CMs of the airship body are analyzed to extract dominant modal currents and field distributions. To achieve controllable beam scanning and polarization characteristics, a decomposition-based multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA/D) is integrated with the modal synthesis process, enabling physics-informed optimization of co-/cross-polarization energy and sidelobe level. Guided by the synthesized modal currents, distributed heterogeneous coupling elements (CEs) are conformally arranged on the platform. The fabricated 1:40 scale model demonstrates a ±60∘ beam scanning range and a measured gain exceeding 10 dBi with over 80% radiation efficiency, in good agreement with simulations. The proposed method bridges CM theory and practical conformal array realization, providing a generalized approach for large-scale, platform-integrated antenna design.
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