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Wilson, Jeffrey D.

Publications and source records attributed to Wilson, Jeffrey D..

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Simulating Global AeroMACS Airport Ground Station Antenna Power Transmission Limits to Avoid Interference With Mobile Satellite Service Feeder Uplinks

The Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091 to 5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low Earth orbit from transmitters at global airports was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on antenna distribution, gain patterns, duty cycle, and antenna tilt was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power from global airports required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

AeroMACS Interference Simulations for Global Airports

Ran 18 scenarios with Visualyse Professional interference software (presented 2 most realistic scenarios). Scenario A: 85 large airports can transmit 1650 mW on each of 11 channels. 173 medium airports can transmit 825 mW on each of 6 channels. 5951 small airports can transmit 275 mW on one channel. Reducing power allowed for small airports in Scenario B increases allowable power for large and medium airports, but should not be necessary as Scenario A levels are more than adequate. These power limitations are conservative because we are assuming worst case with 100% duty.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Dependence of AeroMACS Interference on Airport Radiation Pattern Characteristics

AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091 to 5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low earth orbit from AeroMACS transmitters at the 497 major airports in the contiguous United States was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on the number of antenna beams per airport, gain patterns, and beam direction orientations was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Application of Multihop Relay for Performance Enhancement of AeroMACS Networks

A new transmission technology, based on IEEE 802.16-2009 (WiMAX), is currently being developed for airport surface communications. A C-band spectrum allocation at 5091 to 5150 MHz has been created by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to carry this application. The proposed technology, known as AeroMACS, will be used to support fixed and mobile ground to ground applications and services. This article proposes and demonstrates that IEEE 802.16j-amendment-based WiMAX is most feasible for AeroMACS applications. This amendment introduces multihop relay as an optional deployment that may be used to provide additional coverage and/or enhance the capacity of the network. Particular airport surface radio coverage situations for which IEEE 802.16-2009-WiMAX provides resolutions that are inefficient, costly, or excessively power consuming are discussed. In all these cases, it is argued that 16j technology offers a much better alternative. A major concern about deployment of AeroMACS is interference to co-allocated applications such as the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder link. Our initial simulation results suggest that no additional interference to MSS feeder link is caused by deployment of IEEE 802.16j-based AeroMACS.

Kamali, Behnam↗
NASA NTRS2012

Dependence of AeroMACS Interference on Airport Radiation Pattern Characteristics

AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System), which is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard, is expected to be implemented in the 5091-5150 MHz frequency band. As this band is also occupied by Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. In this study, the cumulative interference power distribution at low earth orbit from AeroMACS transmitters at the 497 major airports in the contiguous United States was simulated with the Visualyse Professional software. The dependence of the interference power on the number of antenna beams per airport, gain patterns, and beam direction orientations was simulated. As a function of these parameters, the simulation results are presented in terms of the limitations on transmitter power required to maintain the cumulative interference power under the established threshold.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Application of Multihop Relay for Performance Enhancement of AeroMACS Networks

A new transmission technology, based on IEEE 802.16-2009 (WiMAX), is currently being developed for airport surface communications. A C-band spectrum allocation at 5091-5150 MHz has been created by ITU to carry this application. The proposed technology, known as AeroMACS, will be used to support fixed and mobile ground to ground applications and services. This article proposes and demonstrates that IEEE 802.16j-amendment-based WiMAX is most feasible for AeroMACS applications. This amendment introduces multihop relay as an optional deployment that may be used to provide additional coverage and/or enhance the capacity of the network. Particular airport surface radio coverage situations for which IEEE 802.16-2009-WiMAX provides resolutions that are inefficient, costly, or excessively power consuming are discussed. In all these cases, it is argued that 16j technology offers a much better alternative. A major concern about deployment of AeroMACS is interference to co-allocated applications such as the Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) feeder link. Our initial simulation results suggest that no additional interference to MSS feeder link is caused by deployment of IEEE 802.16j-based AeroMACS.

Kamali, Behnam↗
NASA NTRS2012

Model of the Radio Frequency (RF) Excitation Response from Monopole and Dipole Antennas in a Large Scale Tank

Good antenna-mode coupling is needed for determining the amount of propellant in a tank through the method of radio frequency mass gauging (RFMG). The antenna configuration and position in a tank are important factors in coupling the antenna to the natural electromagnetic modes. In this study, different monopole and dipole antenna mounting configurations and positions were modeled and responses simulated in a full-scale tank model with the transient solver of CST Microwave Studio (CST Computer Simulation Technology of America, Inc.). The study was undertaken to qualitatively understand the effect of antenna design and placement within a tank on the resulting radio frequency (RF) tank spectrum.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Interference Analysis for an Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System

The next generation of aeronautical communications for airport surface applications has been identified through a NASA research program and an international collaborative future communications study. The result, endorsed by both the United States and European regulatory agencies is called AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System) and is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard. Coordinated efforts to develop appropriate aviation standards for the AeroMACS system are now underway within RTCA (United States) and Eurocae (Europe). AeroMACS will be implemented in a recently allocated frequency band, 5091-5150 MHz. As this band is also occupied by fixed satellite service uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference to the fixed satellite service are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. The NASA Glenn Research Center has been involved in this analysis, and the first results of modeling and simulation efforts directed at this analysis are the subject of this presentation.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Modeling C-Band Co-Channel Interference From AeroMACS Omni-Directional Antennas to Mobile Satellite Service Feeder Uplinks

A new C-band (5091 to 5150 MHz) airport communications system designated as Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) is being planned under the Federal Aviation Administration s NextGen program. An interference analysis software program, Visualyse Professional (Transfinite Systems Ltd), is being utilized to provide guidelines on limitations for AeroMACS transmitters to avoid interference with other systems. A scenario consisting of a single omni-directional transmitting antenna at each of the major contiguous United States airports is modeled and the steps required to build the model are reported. The results are shown to agree very well with a previous study.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Interference Analysis for an Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System

The next generation of aeronautical communications for airport surface applications has been identified through a NASA research program and an international collaborative future communications study. The result, endorsed by both the United States and European regulatory agencies is called AeroMACS (Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System) and is based upon the IEEE 802.16e mobile wireless standard. Coordinated efforts to develop appropriate aviation standards for the AeroMACS system are now underway within RTCA (United States) and Eurocae (Europe). AeroMACS will be implemented in a recently allocated frequency band, 5091- 5150 MHz. As this band is also occupied by fixed satellite service uplinks, AeroMACS must be designed to avoid interference with this incumbent service. The aspects of AeroMACS operation that present potential interference to the fixed satellite service are under analysis in order to enable the definition of standards that assure that such interference will be avoided. The NASA Glenn Research Center has been involved in this analysis, and the first results of modeling and simulation efforts directed at this analysis are the subject of this paper.12

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Robust Optimization Design Algorithm for High-Frequency TWTs

Traveling-wave tubes (TWTs), such as the Ka-band (26-GHz) model recently developed for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, are essential as communication amplifiers in spacecraft for virtually all near- and deep-space missions. This innovation is a computational design algorithm that, for the first time, optimizes the efficiency and output power of a TWT while taking into account the effects of dimensional tolerance variations. Because they are primary power consumers and power generation is very expensive in space, much effort has been exerted over the last 30 years to increase the power efficiency of TWTs. However, at frequencies higher than about 60 GHz, efficiencies of TWTs are still quite low. A major reason is that at higher frequencies, dimensional tolerance variations from conventional micromachining techniques become relatively large with respect to the circuit dimensions. When this is the case, conventional design- optimization procedures, which ignore dimensional variations, provide inaccurate designs for which the actual amplifier performance substantially under-performs that of the design. Thus, this new, robust TWT optimization design algorithm was created to take account of and ameliorate the deleterious effects of dimensional variations and to increase efficiency, power, and yield of high-frequency TWTs. This design algorithm can help extend the use of TWTs into the terahertz frequency regime of 300-3000 GHz. Currently, these frequencies are under-utilized because of the lack of efficient amplifiers, thus this regime is known as the "terahertz gap." The development of an efficient terahertz TWT amplifier could enable breakthrough applications in space science molecular spectroscopy, remote sensing, nondestructive testing, high-resolution "through-the-wall" imaging, biomedical imaging, and detection of explosives and toxic biochemical agents.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Interference Analysis Status and Plans for Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS)

Interference issues related to the operation of an aeronautical mobile airport communications system (AeroMACS) in the C-Band (specifically 5091-5150 MHz) is being investigated. The issue of primary interest is co-channel interference from AeroMACS into mobile-satellite system (MSS) feeder uplinks. The effort is focusing on establishing practical limits on AeroMACS transmissions from airports so that the threshold of interference into MSS is not exceeded. The analyses are being performed with the software package Visualyse Professional, developed by Transfinite Systems Limited. Results with omni-directional antennas and plans to extend the models to represent AeroMACS more accurately will be presented. These models should enable realistic analyses of emerging AeroMACS designs to be developed from NASA Test Bed, RTCA 223, and European results.

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Space-Qualified Traveling-Wave Tube

The L-3 Communications Electron Technologies, Inc. Model 999HA traveling-wave tube (TWT), was developed for use as a high-power microwave amplifier for high-rate transmission of data and video signals from deep space to Earth (see figure). The 999HA is a successor to the 999H a non-space qualified TWT described in High-Power, High-Efficiency Ka-Band Traveling-Wave Tube (LEW-17900-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 2 (February 2007), page 32. Operating in the 31.8-to-32.3 GHz frequency band, the 999HA has been shown to generate 252 W of continuous- wave output power at 62 percent overall power efficiency a 75-percent increase in output power over the 999H. The mass of the 999HA is 35 percent less than that of the 999H. Moreover, taking account of the elimination of a Faraday cage that is necessary for operation of the 999H but is obviated by a redesign of high-voltage feed-throughs for the 999HA, the overall reduction in mass becomes 57 percent with an 82 percent reduction in volume. Through a series of rigorous tests, the 999HA has been qualified for operation aboard spacecraft with a lifetime exceeding seven years. Offspring of the 999HA will fly on the Kepler and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions.

Wilson, Jeffrey D.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Ultra High Power and Efficiency Space Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifier Power Combiner with Reduced Size and Mass for NASA Missions

In the 2008 International Microwave Symposium (IMS) Digest version of our paper, recent advances in high power and efficiency space traveling-wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) for NASA s space-to-Earth communications are presented. The RF power and efficiency of a new K-Band amplifier are 40 W and 50 percent and that of a new Ka-Band amplifier are 200 W and 60 percent. An important figure-of-merit, which is defined as the ratio of the RF power output to the mass (W/kg) of a TWT, has improved by a factor of ten over the previous generation Ka-Band devices. In this extended paper, a high power, high efficiency Ka-band combiner for multiple TWTs, based on a novel hybrid magic-T waveguide circuit design, is presented. The measured combiner efficiency is as high as 90 percent. In addition, at the design frequency of 32.05 GHz, error-free uncoded BPSK/QPSK data transmission at 8 megabits per second (Mbps), which is typical for deep space communications is demonstrated. Furthermore, QPSK data transmission at 622 Mbps is demonstrated with a low bit error rate of 2.4x10(exp -8), which exceeds the deep space state-of-the-art data rate transmission capability by more than two orders of magnitude. A potential application of the TWT combiner is in deep space communication systems for planetary exploration requiring transmitter power on the order of a kilowatt or higher.

Simons, Rainee N.↗
NASA NTRS2008

High Power and Efficiency Space Traveling-Wave Tube Amplifiers With Reduced Size and Mass for NASA Missions

Recent advances in high power and efficiency space traveling-wave tube amplifiers (TWTAs) for NASA s space-to-Earth communications are presented in this paper. The RF power and efficiency of a new K-Band amplifier are 40 W and 50 percent and that of a new Ka-Band amplifier are 200 W and 60 percent. An important figure-of-merit, which is defined as the ratio of the RF power output to the mass (W/kg) of a TWT has improved by a factor of ten over the previous generation Ka-Band devices.

Simons, Rainee N.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Wearable Wireless Telemetry System for Implantable BioMEMS Sensors

Telemetry systems of a type that have been proposed for the monitoring of physiological functions in humans would include the following subsystems: Surgically implanted or ingested units that would comprise combinations of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)- based sensors [bioMEMS sensors] and passive radio-frequency (RF) readout circuits that would include miniature loop antennas. Compact radio transceiver units integrated into external garments for wirelessly powering and interrogating the implanted or ingested units. The basic principles of operation of these systems are the same as those of the bioMEMS-sensor-unit/external-RFpowering- and-interrogating-unit systems described in "Printed Multi-Turn Loop Antennas for Biotelemetry" (LEW-17879-1) NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 6 (June 2007), page 48, and in the immediately preceding article, "Hand-Held Units for Short-Range Wireless Biotelemetry" (LEW-17483-1). The differences between what is reported here and what was reported in the cited prior articles lie in proposed design features and a proposed mode of operation. In a specific system of the type now proposed, the sensor unit would comprise mainly a capacitive MEMS pressure sensor located in the annular region of a loop antenna (more specifically, a square spiral inductor/ antenna), all fabricated as an integral unit on a high-resistivity silicon chip. The capacitor electrodes, the spiral inductor/antenna, and the conductor lines interconnecting them would all be made of gold. The dimensions of the sensor unit have been estimated to be about 110.4 mm. The external garment-mounted powering/ interrogating unit would include a multi-turn loop antenna and signal-processing circuits. During operation, this external unit would be positioned in proximity to the implanted or ingested unit to provide for near-field, inductive coupling between the loop antennas, which we have as the primary and secondary windings of an electrical transformer.

Simons, Rainee N.↗