Development of a digital tracking array with single-channel RSNS and monopulse digital beamforming
Authors
Yeh, ShihYuan
Subjects
Advisors
Jenn, David C.
Cristi, Roberto
Date of Issue
2010-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used in military applications, and one of the most common missions is remote sensing. Remote sensing requires UAVs equipped with different kinds of sensors. Information collected by remote sensors must be transmitted back to a ground control station (GCS) to conduct analysis. The majority of UAVs are controlled directly by GCS personnel using radio frequency (RF), line-of-sight (LOS) links. The ground antenna must acquire and then track the UAV signal. A digital phased array allows signal processing functions to be performed in the antenna processor as well as beamforming and tracking. The development of a digital tracking array with single-channel robust symmetrical number system (RSNS) and monopulse digital beamforming (DBF) to track a UAV's transmitted signal is described in this thesis. The RSNS is used as the direction finding (DF) algorithm and can provide high angle resolution with two closely spaced elements. However, as is typical for an array, the angle accuracy is reduced at the two ends of the field-of-view (FOV). The monopulse DBF is used to precisely track the signals. The monopulse tracking technique provides precise angle accuracy within a FOV of approximately ±45. The tracking system is developed in LabView, and the performance of a six-element prototype array is demonstrated by measurement in an anechoic chamber.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Electrical Engineering
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xx, 111 p. : col. ill. ;
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.