Technologies for Reconfigurable antennas Used in Satellite and Terrastrial inks (TRUST)

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Telecommunication systems used in public safety and defence applications need to operate with a variety of protocols and frequencies. This is realized by using software defined radio. Currently, reconfigurable antennas allowing fast switching between channels over a broad range of frequencies in order to exploit the full potential of existing radio equipment are not available. In satellite communications, there is a need to develop reconfigurable antennas capable to adapt their Earth coverage while in orbit in order to adapt to the market changes. Current methods used to realign the antenna beam offer limited flexibility. The general objective of the proposed research is to investigate the feasibility of implementing electronically reconfigurable antennas with the following desired characteristics: capability to operate under realistic transmit power levels, flexibility for beam steering and shaping, capability of retuning the frequency of operation, capability to operate under varying temperature conditions and reconfiguration time inferior to the millisecond. To accomplish this, we will investigate the characteristics of tunable components under severe conditions (high power and varying temperature) to determine their limitations. Approaches to mitigate the performance degradation will have to be developed and validated. Concurrently, reconfigurable antenna prototypes demonstrating the enhanced robustness of the design method will be designed and implemented. These prototypes will allow assessment of performance and limitations of the proposed concepts.