Study on a Reconfigurable Antenna Consisting of Cable Networks
- Paper number
IAC-05-C2.1.B.04
- Author
Dr. Hiroaki Tanaka, National Defense Academy, Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. M.C. Natori, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)/ISAS, Japan
- Year
2005
- Abstract
Recent and future space antennas will be required to be large and precise. Since the capacities of launch vehicles are limited, large space antennas must be deployable. Therefore several types of deployable antennas have been studied and developed; in particular, deployable antennas consisting of cable networks are being widely used. Their surfaces are shaped by cable networks. There are several advantages to using these antennas in space, such as high packaging efficiency and low weight. Reconfigurable antennas are the antennas, which can change their beam shapes arbitrarily, according to a purpose. Reconfigurable antennas are very useful for future space antennas, because beam shapes of the antenna can be modified according as a mission is changed. This study investigates large reconfigurable antennas consisting of cable networks. The beam shapes of the antenna can be modified by changing a shape of the antenna reflector. New methods are proposed in order to design and control the reconfigurable antennas, which consist of cable networks. Ideal shapes of the antenna reflector are adjusted using plane wave synthesis, so as to obtain objective beam shapes. The cable network, of which an antenna surface consists, must be designed and controlled to fit the ideal shape of the reflector. However shape controls of cable networks are very difficult because of their strong non-linearity. Therefore new control method based on force density concept is employed for shape control. Two ways of control actuation using tie cables and boundary cables are considered and compared. Some numerical simulations are carried out to investigate characteristics of reconfigurable antennas. Feasibility of the reconfigurable antennas consisting of the cable networks is clarified and efficiencies of these methods are demonstrated through these simulations.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-C2.1.B.04.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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