The design and performance of Model 2.041 quadraloop telemetry antennas for the NASA JAVELIN, Flight 12.03
Quadraloop telemetry antenna array for Javelin rocket - electrical characteristics
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Quadraloop telemetry antenna array for Javelin rocket - electrical characteristics
Wireless sensors are desired for monitoring aircraft engines, automotive engines, industrial machinery, and many other applications. The most important requirement of sensors is that they do not interfere with the environment that they are monitoring. Therefore, wireless sensors must be small, which demands a high level of integration. Sensors that modulate an oscillator active antenna have advantages of small size, high level of integration, and lower packaging cost. Several types of oscillator active antennas have been reported. Ip et al. demonstrated a CPW line fed patch antenna with a feedback loop [1]. No degradation in performance was noticed without a ground plane. A GaAs FET was used in an amplifier/oscillator-based active antenna [2]. An oscillator based on a Cree SiC transistor was designed and characterized in [3]. This paper reports the integration of the SiC Clapp oscillator to a slotline loop antenna.
Wind data measured during a field experiment were used to verify the analytical model of wind gusts. Good coincidence was observed; the only discrepancy occurred for the azimuth error in the front and back winds, where the simulated errors were smaller than the measured ones. This happened because of the assumption of the spatial coherence of the wind gust model, which generated a symmetric antenna load and, in consequence, a low azimuth servo error. This result indicates a need for upgrading the wind gust model to a spatially incoherent one that will reflect the real gusts in a more accurate manner. In order to design a controller with wind disturbance rejection properties, the wind disturbance should be known at the input to the antenna rate loop model. The second task, therefore, consists of developing a digital filter that simulates the wind gusts at the antenna rate input. This filter matches the spectrum of the measured servo errors. In this scenario, the wind gusts are generated by introducing white noise to the filter input.
This work is the first step toward increasing the bandwidth of the DSS-13 antenna position loop controller. A wider bandwidth of the controller allows for faster tracking rates and better pointing performance under windy conditions. To achieve this goal, the antenna control system model has to be improved, such that it will accurately reflect the dynamic properties of the antenna. The existing analytical model, due to its many uncertainties, could not be used in the design of the controller. However, by using experimental data, the analytical model is modified and improved, and a new model is obtained through system identification techniques.
An antenna, which may be a search coil, is connected to an operational amplifier circuit which provides negative impedances, each of which is in the order of magnitude of the positive impedances which characterize the antenna. The antenna is connected to the inverting input of the operational amplifier; a resistor is connected between the inverting input and the output of the operational amplifier; a capacitor-resistor network, in parallel, is connected between the output and the noninverting input of the operational amplifier; and a resistor is connected from the noninverting input and the circuit common. While this circuit provides a negative resistance and a negative inductance, in series, which appear, looking into the noninverting input of the operational amplifier, in parallel with the antenna, these negative impedances appear in a series loop with the antenna positive impedances, so as to algebraically add. This circuit is tuned by varying the various circuit components so that the negative impedances are very close, but somewhat less, in magnitude, to the antenna impedances. The result is to increase the sensitivity of the antenna by lowering its effective impedance. This, in turn, increases the effective area of the antenna, which may be broadband.
The present paper examines the impact of phase, amplitude and Doppler transients on the tracking performance of a Costas loop, both in the presence and absence of noise; the loop's lock maintenance capability is also examined. Specific considerations involve analyzing second order loop transient behavior in the absence of noise and the presence of the three transients noted above; here, the operational differential equations are formulated and numerically solved. In the context of noise presence, a first order loop is treated in conjunction with amplitude and phase transients; toward this end the time dependent version of the Fokker-Planck partial differential equation is developed and numerically solved. Selected performance curves describe second order loop behavior in the presence of transients, whose values are of varying severity. First order loop behavior in the presence of noise is characterized by the illustration of suitably defined time dependent 'truncated probability density functions' and associated loss of lock probabilities.
An analysis is performed to compare decoupled and linear quadratic regulator (LQR) procedures for the control of a large, flexible space antenna. Control objectives involve: (1) commanding changes in the rigid-body modes, (2) nulling initial disturbances in the rigid-body modes, or (3) nulling initial disturbances in the first three flexible modes. Control is achieved with two three-axis control-moment gyros located on the antenna column. Results are presented to illustrate various effects on control requirements for the two procedures. These effects include errors in the initial estimates of state variables, variations in the type, number, and location of sensors, and deletions of state-variable estimates for certain flexible modes after control activation. The advantages of incorporating a time lag in the control feedback are also illustrated. In addition, the effects of inoperative-control situations are analyzed with regard to control requirements and resultant modal responses. Comparisons are included which show the effects of perfect state feedback with no residual modes (ideal case). Time-history responses are presented to illustrate the various effects on the control procedures.
Topics covered include: Situational Awareness from a Low-Cost Camera System; Data Acquisition System for Multi-Frequency Radar Flight Operations Preparation; Mercury Toolset for Spatiotemporal Metadata; Social Tagging of Mission Data; Integrating Radar Image Data with Google Maps; Demonstration of a Submillimeter-Wave HEMT Oscillator Module at 330 GHz; Flexible Peripheral Component Interconnect Input/Output Card; Interface Supports Lightweight Subsystem Routing for Flight Applications; MMIC Amplifiers and Wafer Probes for 350 to 500 GHz; Public Risk Assessment Program; Particle Swarm Optimization Toolbox; Telescience Support Center Data System Software; Update on PISCES; Ground and Space Radar Volume Matching and Comparison Software; Web-Based Interface for Command and Control of Network Sensors; Orbit Determination Toolbox; Distributed Observer Network; Computer-Automated Evolution of Spacecraft X-Band Antennas; Practical Loop-Shaping Design of Feedback Control Systems; Fully Printed High-Frequency Phased-Array Antenna on Flexible Substrate; Formula for the Removal and Remediation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Painted Structures; Integrated Solar Concentrator and Shielded Radiator; Water Membrane Evaporator; Modeling of Failure for Analysis of Triaxial Braided Carbon Fiber Composites; Catalyst for Carbon Monoxide Oxidation; Titanium Hydroxide - a Volatile Species at High Temperature; Selective Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes: Part II; Steerable Hopping Six-Legged Robot; Launchable and Retrievable Tetherobot; Hybrid Heat Exchangers; Orbital Winch for High-Strength, Space-Survivable Tethers; Parameterized Linear Longitudinal Airship Model; and Physics of Life: A Model for Non-Newtonian Properties of Living Systems.
An Antenna Positioner Mechanism (APM) was developed for deployment of an antenna reflector and for fine granularity closed loop tracking of the antenna in response to RF beacon error signals. By utilizing permanent magnet stepper motors, spur gearheads, irreversible single threat worm/wheel assemblies and a miter gear differential, full electrical and mechanical redundancy was realized. Two versions of this design were generated: one is a weight-optimized design with a clutch for overload protection and one is a more rugged unit without a clutch.
A coplanar waveguide (CPW) loop is shown to be an effective low VSWR feed for microstrip antennas. The low VSWR transition between the CPW and the antenna is obtained without the use of a matching circuit, and it is relatively insensitive to the position of the antenna and the feed.
When two separate antennas are used with each feedback loop to decorrelate noise, the antennas should be located such that the phase of the interfering signal in the two antennas is the same while the noise in them is uncorrelated. Thus, the antenna patterns and spatial distribution of the auxiliary antennas are quite important and should be carefully selected. The selection and spatial distribution of auxiliary elements is discussed when the main antenna is a center fed reflector antenna. It is shown that offset feeds of the reflector antenna can be used as auxiliary elements of an adaptive array to suppress weak interfering signals. An experimental system is designed to verify the theoretical analysis. The details of the experimental systems are presented.
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Theoretical and experimental results of the modeling and control of a flexible ribbed antenna are presented. The antenna consists of eight flexible ribs which constitutes a smart antenna in the sense that the actuator and sensors are an integral part of the structure. The antenna exhibits closely space and repeated modes, thus multi-input multi-output (MIMO) control is necessary for controllability and observability of the structure. The structure also exhibits mode localization phenomenon and contains post buckled members making an accurate finite element model of the structure difficult to obtain. An identified MIMO minimum order model of the antenna is synthesized from identified single-input single-output (SISO) transfer functions curve fit in the frequency domain. The identified model is used to design a positive position feedback (PPF) controller that increases damping in all of the modes in the targeted frequency range. Due to the accuracy of the open loop model of the antenna, the closed loop response predicted by the identified model correlates well wtih experimental results.
A system for focusing and pointing the SPS power beam is discussed. The system is ground based and closed loop. One receiving antenna is required on earth. A conventional uplinked data channel transmits an 8-bit phase error correction back to the SPS for sequential calibration of each power module. Beam pointing resolution is better than 140 meters at the rectenna.
A system for focusing and pointing the SPS power beam is discussed. The system is ground based and closed loop. One receiving antenna is required on Earth. A conventional uplink data channel transmits an 8-bit phase error correlation back to the SPS for sequential calibration of each power module. Beam pointing resolution is better than 140 meters at the Rectenna.
An interferometer based phase control system for focusing and pointing the solar power satellite (SPS) power beam is discussed. The system is ground based and closed loop. One receiving antenna is required on Earth. A conventional uplink data channel transmits an 8 bit phase error correction back to the SPS for sequential calibration of each power module. Beam pointing resolution is better than 140 meters at the rectenna.
This paper discusses options for vehicle antennas to be used in mobile satellite communications systems. Two types of antennas are identified. A non-steerable, azimuthally omnidirectional antenna with a modest gain of 3 to 5 dBi is suggested when a low cost is desired. Alternatively, mechanically or electronically steerable antennas with a higher gain of 10 to 12 dBi are suggested to alleviate power and spectrum scarcity associated with mobile satellite communications. For steerable antennas, both open-loop and closed-loop pointing schemes are discussed. Monopulse and sequential lobing are proposed for the mechanically steered and electronically steered antennas, respectively. This paper suggests a hybrid open-loop/closed-loop pointing technique as the best performer in the mobile satellite environment.
The pointing control loops of Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas do not account for unmodeled deflections of the primary and secondary reflectors. As a result, structural distortions due to unpredictable environmental loads can result in uncompensated boresight shifts which degrade pointing accuracy. The design proposed here can provide real-time bias commands to the pointing control system to compensate for environmental effects on pointing performance. The bias commands can be computed in real time from optically measured deflections at a number of points on the primary and secondary reflectors. Computer simulations with a reduced-order finite-element model of a DSN antenna validate the concept and lead to a proposed design by which a ten-to-one reduction in pointing uncertainty can be achieved under nominal uncertainty conditions.