volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

In active phased arrays, T/R module performance drifts due to active components' aging and thermal effect. Hence periodic online field calibration is required during the deployment of a radar system. This paper presents an innovative design of a precise and consistent calibration network consisting of a buried leaky coaxial cable (LCX) and a calibration switch network (CSN) for fast periodic field calibration of an active phased array. In the antenna plate, leaky coaxial cables are buried within the wall of the cavity-backed antenna to realize calibration lines. A 1:30 way Wilkinson power divider/combiner is realized as a calibration switching network for simultaneous excitation of multiple calibration lines to characterize multiple radiating elements in the active array. An S-Band (3.3 GHz ± 200 MHz) experimental active array with 64T/R modules is configured and tested in the near-field test range (NFTR) to demonstrate the performance of the proposed calibration network. Simultaneous excitation of multiple radiating elements significantly reduces array calibration time and provides more flexibility to other multifunction radar functions. The availability of multiple receivers and non-overlapping RF beam forming networks in the radar system limits the improvement factor in array calibration time mentioned in this paper.

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Dr. Virendra Kumar

Dr. Chakkandan Arjunan Sreejith

Dr. Shreeshail

Dr. Upendra Shankar Pandey

Dr. Karukunnel Beenamole

Dr. Ravi Kumar Gangwar