Phase Corrections on Satellite-tracking Antennas

用于互联网服务的NGSO（非地球静止卫星轨道）卫星，如Starlink、OneWeb和SES O3b卫星星座，需要高性能和低成本的波束跟踪用户终端天线。然而，今天市场上的产品要么太贵，要么不符合技术性能标准，要么两者兼而有之。这严重阻碍了该行业的发展和增长，在卫星技术和星座的建设上投入了大量投资。在Starlink的案例中，天线的制造成本超过2000美元，为了以599美元的价格提供整个用户终端，该公司给予了大量补贴。在SES O3b的案例中，这项服务目前仅限于大型企业或商业用户，每个天线的成本超过数万美元。sataka天线由TechApp Consultants （TAC）开发，基于创新和正在申请专利的技术，在显著降低成本的同时提供了高技术性能。它为以卫星为基础的互联网服务的广泛提供铺平了道路，并为世界各地的消费者市场提供了便利。虽然sataka天线比当今市场上的其他产品提供了许多竞争优势，但其相对较大的天线尺寸主要是在天线宽度上，这是不可取的。但是，减小天线宽度会降低天线的性能。通过内部研发计划，TAC确定了性能下降的问题和原因，即天线宽度减小造成的表面畸变和射频（RF）相位误差。本项目旨在通过理论分析和实验测量来量化相位误差，然后通过使用介电透镜对相位误差进行校正，最后通过构建原型和天线距离测量来验证解决方案。在这个项目中，理论分析工具/方法和确定相位误差的测量计量学都将得到发展。

NGSO (non-geostationary satellite orbit) satellites for internet services, such as Starlink, OneWeb and SES O3b satellite constellations require high-performance and low-cost beam-tracking user terminal antennas. The products on the market today, however, are either too expensive, do not meet technical performance standards, or both. This severely impedes the development and growth of the industry, where massive investment has been placed on the build-up of satellite technology and constellations.In Starlink's case, the antenna, which costs over $2k to manufacture, is heavily subsidised by the business in order to offer the entire user terminal at $599\. In SES O3b's case, the service is currently restricted to large enterprises or commercial users, with each antenna costing over tens of thousands of dollars.The Satraka antenna, developed by TechApp Consultants (TAC) and based on innovative and patent-pending technology, offers high technical performance with a significant cost reduction. It paves the way for the satellite based internet services to be widely available and accessible to the consumer market around the world.While Satraka antennas offer many competitive advantages over other products on the market today, its relatively large antenna dimensions that are mainly on the antenna width, are not desirable. Reducing the antenna width, however, degrades the antenna performance. Through an internal R&D programme, TAC identified the issues and the causes of the performance degradation, being the surface aberration and radio frequency (RF) phase-error created by the reduction of antenna width.This project aims to quantify the phase-error by theoretical analysis and experimental measurements, then correct the phase-error through the use of dielectric lens and finally validate the solution by building prototypes and antenna range measurements.Both theoretical analysis tools/approaches, and the measurement metrology in determining the phase error are to be developed in this project.