Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)

An important area of microwave engineering is the design of antenna arrays, especially in satellite and mobile communications. A specific type of the phased array antennas is active electronically scanned array (AESA).

WIPL-D Pro 3D EM solver is a full wave simulation tool based on Method of Moments. Numerous advanced techniques make it state-of-the-art: higher order basis functions, quadrilateral mesh (compared to more popular triangular), highly efficient CPU and GPU parallelized execution, using symmetry for both geometry and excitation etc. Due to very efficient simulation, WIPL-D Pro has been used to solve problems with hundreds of array elements.

WIPL-D asymmetry allows to simulate geometrically symmetrical arrays with arbitrary feed voltages. Such scenario also allows to run a single simulation and then later apply the appropriate generator voltages for different steer angles, without re-running EM simulation. The 128-element array (16×8 elements) of stacked patch antennas (3 dielectric layers) is fed by 4 coaxial probes per patch. The recommended hardware platform for this sort of simulation is a regular desktop PC, possibly enhanced with single inexpensive CUDA enabled GPU card. The simulation time is measured in minutes.

Section: Arrays & Radomes

For full version of the document, please check the following pdf.