Design Algorithms for Mulifunction Reconfigurable Antenna Arrays

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9974113VolakisThe objective of this proposal is to develop and extend the application of the Homogenization Design Method (HDM) to conformal multilayered antenna array design with emphasis on adaptive/reconfigurable devices. We will achieve this by bringing together a team of researchers from electrical and mechanical engineering. The proposers from the mechanical engineering community have already played a key role in developing and transitioning design methodologies to the automotive industry where HDM was used to achieve optimal automobile designs subject to minimum weight and prespecified thermal and loading requirements. HDM is considered a breakthrough design methodology and its application has permeated all aspects of automobile manufacturing. Basically, HDM provided the capability to design materials with prespecified thermal and structural/mechanical properties, a long standing "dream" in applied mechanics. It was a breakthrough design methodology in mechanical design and had an immediate and significant impact on automobile design. Similarly, in electromagnetics and antenna design in particular, we do not expect that the proposed design technique will be an evolution to existing designs. Instead, the new designs may be of any possible shape and composition while still satisfying bandwidth, size, coupling, gain, pattern and other commonly used performance requirements. Reconfigurable aspects of the antenna can be readily considered as part of the design process.The extension and impact of HDM to new application areas is expected to be equally effective. So far, this highly successful homogenization design method has not been considered for electromagnetic applications. Nevertheless, it certainly has the potential to generate designs for new high performance antennas by following a cell by cell and layer by layer design of the multilayered and multicell antenna structures. The introduction of HDM to electromagnetics (and antenna design in particular) is a timely endeavor for two reasons. First, antenna proliferation in all types of wireless systems and integration of antenna arrays into a single multifunction aperture present us with new challenges for antenna array design which maintain acceptable levels of performance in the presence of highly complex systems. The availability of fast and highly adaptable algorithms based on hybrid finite element method techniques is the second reason for pursuing practical design algorithms.Although this proposal is primarily aimed at antenna design, its success will also impact designs for all other electromagnetic applications. It will also allow for the development of furore design algorithms which combines constraints from mechanical, electrical and other engineering specifications.