The present invention relates to integrated antennas in general, specifically to methods and arrangements for the reduction of the radar cross section of such antennas.
During the past few years, the concept of stealth technology has been successfully exploited, especially for aircrafts. In its most basic definition, stealth is the art of going un-noticed through an environment. The aim is therefore to make it increasingly difficult to detect an object by means of e.g. radar or other electromagnetic detection technique. A plurality of designs, materials, and electronic devices has therefore been developed for this purpose.
Major potential sources of high radar visibility in stealth objects are antennas associated with the object. Since an antenna is typically designed to absorb energy in its operational band, the in-band diffraction is significant if the antenna is integrated in a non-absorbing environment. The out of band diffraction can also contribute to the so called radar cross section (RCS) if there is a phase difference between the reflection from the antenna and the reflection from the surroundings. Several phenomena have been identified as contributions to the radar visibility as represented by the radar cross section (RCS) of array antennas. These contributors can be divided according to: i) structural RCS, ii) antenna-mode RCS, i.e. reflections from inside the antenna, and iii) grating lobes i.e. above radio frequency (RF) band spikes. Examples of the various “classes” of contributors are e.g. grating lobes, edge diffraction, and surface waves
The grating lobes can occur if the inter-element spacing is larger then half a wave length [[1, [2, [3].
Edge diffraction can be interpreted as diffraction caused by the rapid change in the scattering properties between the antenna and its surroundings [[4]. The out of band diffraction can also contribute to the RCS if there is a phase difference between reflections from the antenna and reflections from the antenna surrounding.
Therefore, there is a need for methods and arrangements to reduce the RCS of antennas.
A basic object of the present invention is to reduce the radar visibility of antennas in stealth object.
A further object of the present invention is to enable reduction of the radar cross section of an antenna array integrated in a surrounding surface.
A further object is to enable a smooth transition of the scattering properties between an integrated antenna array and a surrounding surface.
A further object is to enable transformation of the scattering properties of an integrated antenna array to the scattering properties of a perfectly electrical conductor.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the attached set of claims.
Briefly, the present invention comprises providing a thin resistive sheet of a resistive material along the perimeter of an outer surface of an array antenna integrated in a surrounding material. The resistive sheet has a tapered resistivity distribution to provide a smooth transition of the scattering properties between the antenna and its surrounding material.
Advantages of the present invention include:
Smooth transition of scattering properties between an integrated antenna and its surrounding material;
An integrated antenna array with a reduced mono-static radar cross section
Reduced radar cross section of an integrated antenna.
The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by referring to the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
a illustrates the transition of the reflection coefficient according to the invention,
b illustrates the Fourier transforms in dB of the transition of
a illustrates the calculated reflection coefficient (expressed in dB) as a function of frequency of an embodiment of the invention,
b illustrates the calculated reflection coefficient (expressed in a Smith chart) as a function of frequency of an embodiment of the invention.
a-b illustrate the calculated bi-static RCS of a self-complementary patch array according to an embodiment of the present invention,
a and b illustrate the same information as
a-d illustrate the bi-static RCS of embodiments according to the invention;
a-d illustrate a comparison between the bi-static RCS of embodiments of the invention, calculated with FDTD and with the PO-approximation;
a-b illustrate the effect of the embodiment of
The present invention will be described in the context of but not limited to an array antenna integrated in a surface of a surrounding material, e.g. a perfectly electrical conductor surface. However, the same considerations are possible for other surrounding materials and for antennas with radome structures.
In order to fully comprehend the implications and various aspects of the present invention, some mathematical and theoretical considerations need to be explained.
RCS and Physical Optics Approximation
The basic definition of the Radar Cross Section (RCS) or a of an object is the ratio of the amplitude of the scattered power to the incident power in the direction of an observer at infinity. In other words, its equivalent area which if scattered isotropically would result in the same scattered power density [[5]. The RCS of an object can thereby be determined as the quotient between the amplitudes of the scattered wave and the incident wave, i.e.,
where r is the position, k is the circular wave number, Es is the scattered wave and the incident wave Ei is a plane wave according to
E1(x;{circumflex over (k)})=Ei({circumflex over (k)})e−tk{circumflex over (k)}·x (2)
In general, the RCS of an object depends on the polarization and frequency of the incident wave. For two-dimensional objects, e.g., finite times infinite arrays, the RCS is the equivalent length of an object and given by
where ρ is the reflection coefficient of the object.
It is often convenient to use the logarithmic scale for the RCS. As the RCS is usually given in square meters or meters, this gives the units dBsm and dBm.
For the case of scattering from an antenna integrated in the surface of e.g. a PEC object it is natural to consider the scattering of the antenna as the scattering of the object with the antenna minus the scattering of the object when the antenna is replaced with PEC. The scattered field can be determined by integration of the currents on the surface of the object. Assume that the considered antenna array is planar and that is integrated in an infinite planar PEC surface. The current of the infinite PEC surface is given by JPEC=−2{circumflex over (n)}×Hi or equivalently by a reflection coefficient ρPEC=−1. The total scattered field is obtained by integration of the electrical current J and magnetic current M on the surface.
For the scattered field from the antenna it is necessary to subtract the current JPEC over the entire surface area. This gives the scattered field as a Fourier integral over the antenna aperture, i.e.
where an equivalent model for an aperture in an infinite plane is used. The so called Physical Optics (PO) approximation gives a basic understanding of the scattering phenomena due to the geometry of the antenna aperture. The electrical current is approximated according to:
where ρ(x) is the reflection coefficient of the antenna surface. Although the reflection coefficient is dyadic in general, it is sufficient to consider scalar reflection coefficients for the present analysis. The reflection coefficient depends on the spatial coordinate x, the frequency f the direction {circumflex over (k)}, and the polarization of the incident wave Ei. This gives the PO approximation of the scattered field as
where ρ={circumflex over (r)}x({circumflex over (n)}xEi). The physical optics approximation of the RCS then yields:
Consequently, the mono-static RCS reduces to:
Specular Reflection and Edge Diffraction
Consider the RCS of an antenna in the form of a square plate with side a and a reflection coefficient ρ0 in the PO approximation. Let the direction of an incident wave be given by {circumflex over (k)}=sin θ cos φ{circumflex over (x)}+sin θsin φ{circumflex over (x)}30 cos θ{circumflex over (z)}. The mono-static RCS of the antenna is then calculated according to:
Here, it is observed that the RCS is proportional to the contrast between the reflection coefficient in the antenna aperture and the surrounding material i.e. PEC. Moreover, the value of the RCS oscillates rapidly if ka >>1 and takes its largest value in the specular directions θ=0. Consequently, the edge diffracted field is strongest along the x and y axes, i.e. φ=0, 90°, 180°, 270°. Observe that PO is not very accurate for this diffracted field. The so-called Physical Theory of Diffraction (PTD) could be used to improve the accuracy. However, PO illustrates the basic phenomena and it is sufficient for this analysis. The RCS is smallest along the φ=±45, ±135°. This illustrates the importance to align objects such that the incident waves are reflected in other directions than backwards, i.e. away from the observer.
Even though this example is very simple, it illustrates the basic phenomenon that has to be considered when designing an antenna array to provide a low (mono-static) RCS. First of all, it is necessary to orient the antenna array such that the specular reflection is directed in safe directions, i.e., away from the radar antenna. Second, it is important to reduce the amplitude of the diffracted waves as much as possible. The alignment of the edges of the antenna can also be used to direct the diffracted waves away from the radar antenna.
The specular reflection is in general no problem for an integrated antenna as it is directed in the same direction as the specular reflection of the body of the object, i.e., in a safe direction on a stealth object. Although the alignment can reduce degrading effect of the diffracted waves it is important to reduce their amplitude as it is difficult to avoid backscattered waves as well as multiple scattered waves in the mono-static direction.
According to a general aspect of the present invention it is necessary to eliminate the discontinuity in the reflection coefficient at the edge of the antenna, in order to reduce the amplitude of the diffracted waves.
Tapered resistive edge treatment is known to reduce edge diffraction and diffraction from impedance discontinuities [6, [4]. The resistive sheet is highly conductive σ≈∞ and very thin d≈0, and is such that σd≈R−1, see e.g. [4, [7, [8]. Such sheets are used in radar absorbing materials (RAM) such as Salisbury screens and Jaunmann absorbers [4]. They have also been used to taper the edges of antennas to free space [1, [9]. Their scattering properties are analyzed in depth in [10, [11].
A basic embodiment of the present invention comprises providing a transition zone with a tapered resistivity along the perimeter of an antenna array integrated in a surrounding material to provide a smooth transition of the scattering properties between the antenna and the surrounding material.
Further, the arrangement comprises a transition zone 30 provided in the form of a thin resistive sheet. This zone 30 is arranged along the outer perimeter of the antenna 10 and extends or overlaps a main outer surface 11 of the antenna 10, leaving a central section of the antenna 10 un-covered. Simply put, the transition zone 30 circumvents the antenna surface very much like a frame circumventing a painting. In the illustration of
In
Also indicated in the
In order to provide the requested smooth transition in the scattering properties across the interface between the surface of the surrounding material 20 and the main outer surface of the antenna 10 the transition zone 30 has a tapered resistivity profile. The resistivity of the transition zone varies with the distance d from the outer perimeter of the transition zone inwards over the antenna surface. According to a specific embodiment, the resistivity of the transition zone is dependent of the resistivity of the surrounding material and of the resistivity of the antenna main outer surface 11.
Even though the above illustrations show the outer perimeter of the transition zone 30 as coinciding with the outer perimeter of the main surface 11 of the antenna, it is implied that the transition zone 30 can overlap the surrounding material 20 as well. For that case, the scattering properties of the transition zone overlapping the surrounding material matches the scattering properties of the surrounding material.
Preferably, the transition zone extends continuously along the entire perimeter of the main surface 11. However, for some applications it might be beneficial or necessary to allow gaps or other irregularities in the transition zone. In addition, the transition zone 30 is illustrated as being of equal width d along the entire main surface 11. It is implied that also the width can vary depending on the application.
The above-mentioned resistive sheet is preferably highly conductive and σ≈∞ very thin d≈0 such that σd=R−1. Especially, suitable materials for the sheet is selected from a group commonly used in radar absorbing materials (RAM) such as Salisbury screens, conductive paint and conductive films. The materials are also found on metallic coating on so-called low-emittance windows.
The theoretical considerations for the provisions of the transition zone 30 in the form of a thin resistive sheet are described more in detail below.
Thin Conducting Sheet
As previously stated, in order to reduce the diffracted field of an antenna array it is necessary to provide a smooth transition of the scattering properties i.e. RCS over the interface between the antenna array and the surrounding material e.g. PEC.
According to an embodiment of the invention the transition zone 30 is in the form of a thin resistive sheet (preferably metallic) with high conductivity, i.e. thickness d→0 and conductivity ρ→∞ such that cd=R−1 is finite, arranged on the outer main surface 11 of the antenna 10.
The reflection coefficient of the sheet is, according to the invention, determined by (the derivation of the expression is shown in Appendix I):
where R is resistivity of the sheet and ηT is the transverse wave impedance, i.e. ηT=η0/cos θ and ηTM=η0cos θ where θ is the incident angle. It is easily seen that ρR is real valued and −1≦ρR≦0. The corresponding transmission coefficient is similarly given by ηR1+ρR.
The corresponding circuit model for the antenna and the transition zone is illustrated by
For the specific embodiment of an antenna integrated in the surface of a PEC, let the resistance be zero i.e. equal to the resistance of the surrounding material e.g. PEC at the outer perimeter of the transition zone and increase to infinity i.e. air at distance d from the edge. The reflection coefficient of the combined sheet and antenna is given by
This represents a conformal map mapping −1 to 1. The unit circle is mapped into a circle centered at
A reflection coefficient follows the “inverted” reactive circles towards ρ′=−1 as R→0. See
The mono-static RCS for the arrangement is given by
This expression is easily evaluated for any arbitrary transition zone ρR(τ). The RCS can also be approximated as
ρ′=ρ″+ρ′−ρ″ (15)
where ρ″ is given by ρ+1 convolved with a smooth function having unit area, i.e.,
ρ″=Ψ*(ρ+1)−1 (16)
The convolved reflection coefficient follows a straight line from ρ to −1, see again
σρ″={circumflex over (Ψ)}(2k sin θ)σ0 (17)
The first part can be made arbitrary small for a sufficiently large transition zone. The second part is given by the Fourier transform of the difference between the ‘inverted’ reactive circles and the straight lines. The worst case is given by ρ=+1.
To illustrate the effectiveness of the conducting sheet, consider an example with a piecewise constant, a linear, and cubic spline interpolation of the reflection coefficient, see
Numerical simulations are used to illustrate the reduction of the RCS two different array antennas. Consider the infinite times finite arrays. The infinite antenna array can be simulated in a known manner using either one of the Finite-Difference Time-Domain method (FDTD), Method of Moments (MoM), or Finite Element Method (FEM) as long as the code can handle periodic boundary conditions [2, [12, [13]. Here, the code Periodic Boundary Finite-Difference Time-Domain method (PB-FDTD) developed by H. Holter [13] is used.
Self-Complementary Patch Array
According to an embodiment of the present invention, consider an infinite antenna array comprising a plurality of PEC patches. The patches are fed at the corners of each patch giving a linear polarized field in the +45° directions depending on the used feed points. The patch array is almost self complementary, i.e., the PEC structure is almost identical to its complement.
Transformation zones according to the invention are provided on the outer main surfaces of the antenna array. The reflection coefficient of the antenna array varies according to
Here, we consider a patch array with dimensions a=9.6 mm, b=0.8 mm and h=13.6 mm giving the unit-cell length l0=20.8 mm. This gives a resonance frequency around 5.5 GHz and the onset of grating lobes at 7.5 GHz. Dielectric sheets with permittivity ε1=7 and ε2=3 are used. We consider an array consisting of 20 unit cells in the y direction, giving l=20l0=416 mm, and an infinite amount of unit cells in the x-direction, i.e. periodic boundary conditions in the x-direction. As a plane wave in the yz-plane impinges on the array, it is convenient to use the polar angles θ in the range
The bi-static RCS of a self complementary patch array with a single dielectric sheet according to the above is illustrated graphically in
As expected, the specular reflection at −60′ dominates the bi-static RCS. The oscillations of the RCS away from the specular direction are due to the constructive and destructive interference of the edge diffracted waves. The oscillations are more rapid for large arrays. The envelope of the RCS is highlighted to emphasize the dependence of the size of the array. The mono-static RCS is approximately −20 dBm at 3 GHz and −25 dBm at 5 (Hz for the integrated array without tapering. With a linear tapering over two unit cells, i.e. d=210=42 mm, the mono-static RCS reduces with approximately 20 dBm.
The resistive tapering reduces the RCS by smoothing out the discontinuity between the antenna and its surrounding material. However the RCS of an array can be significant if the array supports grating lobes. These grating lobes can occur if the inter element spacing in the array is larger than half a wave length. The path array supports rating lobes for frequencies above 7.5 GHz. The RCS of the self complementary 24×∞ array with a linear resistive tapering over the 2 edge elements for an illumination from θ=60° at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10-GHz is shown in
It is also possible, if not shown that the invention can be further amended to comprise a broadband dipole array with two dielectric sheets.
Frequency Selective Radome (FSS)
Also consider the RCS of a finite times infinite FFS radome provided on top of the antenna structure of the invention, see
The elements are arranged in a square grid with side length of l0=6.6 mm and they have a slot width of 0.17 mm. The loop elements are placed in a 3 mm thick dielectric sheet with permittivity εr=1.6. This gives a bandpass structure with passband from 8.5 GHz to 9 GHz, see
For illustration purposes consider the three cases: without tapering, with a 26 mm linear taper, and with a 53 mm linear taper. The radome size excluding the taper is 332 mm×1. The finite length corresponds to 50 unit cells. The bi-static RCS is shown in
The mono-static RCS is also largest in the passband. Here, the effect of the tapering is considerable. As seen in
Surface Waves
With reference to
This invention enables reducing the mono-static radar cross section of an antenna array by providing a resistive sheet adjacent to the interface of the antenna array and the surrounding electrically conducting material e.g. perfectly electrical conductor (PEC).
Specifically, the present invention shows that a tapered resistive sheet can transform the scattering properties of an antenna array to the scattering properties of a surrounding perfectly electrical conductor or PEC in a controlled way. The tapered resistive sheet transforms the reflection coefficient of the infinite antenna along the inverted reactive circles towards the −1 point as the resistivity decreases to zero.
Specifically, applying the RCS in the physical optics (PO) approximation shows that the mono-static RCS reduces uniformly over a large frequency band, a wide angular scattering. Numerical results using FDTD of the RCS from dipole array, a self-complementary array and an FSS radome are also presented to illustrate the reduction of RCS.
Advantages of the present invention include:
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departure from the scope thereof, which is defined by the appended claims.
Thin Conductive Sheet
Consider the scattering properties of a sheet with conductivity a σ→∞ and thickness d→0 such that σd=R−1 is finite. The complex valued relative permittivity is written:
where k0 is the free space wave number. The vertical part of the wave vector is
k2=√{square root over (k02−k12)}, kss=√{square root over (εk02−k12)} (19)
here it is seen that k21→∞ as σ→∞. The reflection coefficient is
where single layer reflection coefficient, r0T, is
The single layer reflection coefficient has the Taylor expansion
Expand the reflection coefficient of the conductive sheet
The transmission coefficient is similarly given by
Normalization of Reflection Coefficients
Assume that the reflection coefficient
is given. The reflection coefficient normalized to R1 is then given by
With the reflection coefficient of the normalization impedance
This is a Möbius transformation.
This application claims the benefit and priority of United States Provisional Application 60/656,395, filed Feb. 28, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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5170175 | Kobus et al. | Dec 1992 | A |
6317102 | Stambeck | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6414645 | Dahlberg | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6937184 | Fujieda et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070069940 A1 | Mar 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60656395 | Feb 2005 | US |