SBIR Phase II: Multi-Frequency Low-Multipath Small Antennas for High Accuracy GPS

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）二期研究项目将包括设计、开发和制造一种新型的低多径GPS天线，用于高精度应用。该天线原型采用了两项关键技术：(1)采用高科技材料和制造方法的GPS天线新设计，实现了低多径、增益控制、多频率、可调谐和缩小尺寸；(2)金属接地面的新型几何结构进一步抑制多径干扰。在第二阶段结束时，预期的结果包括：l波段的多径误差均匀缓解，相对于扼流圈天线而言，低仰角下的增益提高高达10 dB， GPS和GALILEO频率下的多频运行，以及比其他商用低多径天线尺寸至少小33%。由于多径干扰减少显著提高了GPS精度，因此所提出的多频GPS天线将有利于依赖高精度GPS的国际科学界在地球和大气科学方面取得新进展。特别的是，新型基板天线将允许精确的实时GPS测量，否则是不可能的，以支持NSF资助的EarthScope项目，该项目旨在使用GPS接收器网络研究北美大陆的结构和演变。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project will consist of the design, development, and manufacturing of a novel low-multipath GPS antenna for high accuracy applications. This antenna prototype utilizes two key technologies: (1) a new design of GPS antennas using high-technology materials and manufacturing methodologies, that enables low-multipath, gain control, multi-frequency, tunability, and size reduction; and ( 2) a novel geometry of the metal ground plane to further rejects multipath interference. At the end of Phase II the anticipated results include, multipath error mitigation uniformly at L-Band, gain improvement at low elevation angles up to 10 dB with respect to choke ring antennas, multi-frequency operation at GPS and GALILEO frequencies, and at least 33% smaller size than other commercial low multipath antennas.Because multipath interference reduction significantly improves GPS accuracy, the proposed multi-frequency GPS antenna will benefit the international scientific community that relies on high precision GPS for new advances in Earth and atmospheric sciences. In particular, the novel substrate antenna will allow accurate real-time GPS measurements, otherwise impossible, in support of the NSF funded EarthScope program, that is intended for the study of the structure and evolution of the North America continent using a network of GPS receivers.