ROBOTICALLY CONTROLLED MM-WAVE NEAR-FIELD PATTERN RANGE

Published

October 21, 2012

Author(s)

Josh Gordon, David R. Novotny, Jeffrey R. Guerrieri, Jason Coder, Michael Francis

Abstract

The Antenna Metrology Lab at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder Colorado has developed a robotically controlled near-field pattern range for measuring antennas and quasi-optical components from 50 GHz to 500 GHz. This range is intended to address the need for highly accurate antenna pattern measurements above 100 GHz for a variety of applications including remote sensing, communications and imaging. A new concept in near-field range systems, this system incorporates the positioning repeatability of a precision industrial six-axes robot, six-axes parallel kinematic hexapod, and high precision rotation stage, integrated with a highly accurate laser tracking system. Programmable robot positioning allows the system geometry to be configured for spherical, planar, and cylindrical scans, as well as gain extrapolation measurements. Variable scan volume accommodates different test antenna sizes. Positioning accuracy better than 10 μm is predicted. Specifics of the system design, operating specifications and configurability will be presented.

Conference Dates

October 21-26, 2012

Conference Location

Bellevue, WA, US

Conference Title

34th Annual Symposium of the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA)

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

Local Download

Citation

Gordon, J. , Novotny, D. , Guerrieri, J. , Coder, J. and Francis, M. (2012), ROBOTICALLY CONTROLLED MM-WAVE NEAR-FIELD PATTERN RANGE, 34th Annual Symposium of the Antenna Measurement Techniques Association (AMTA), Bellevue, WA, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=911958 (Accessed October 7, 2024)