A new way to test low-frequency antennas for long-range communication

Choi has developed a new technique for testing these antennas based on very-near-field measurements and a newly-developed, high-precision formula to compute the antenna’s radiation fields.

jihun choi showing device in lab Enlarge

Jihun Choi, a doctoral student in Prof. Kamal Sarabandi’s research group in EE, has earned an honorable mention in the 2016 IEEE Symposium on Antennas and Propagation Student Paper Competition. His paper, “Full-Spherical Radiation Pattern Evaluation of Low Frequency Antennas Using a Novel Very-Near-Field Electro-Optical System,” describes a new technique to test antennas for long-range communication applications.

compact low-frequency antenna Enlarge
Jihun Choi has designed a new way to test compact, low-frequency antennas that will be used in military communication and self-driving vehicle applications.

Developing small antennas that operate at low frequencies is essential for applications ranging from tactical military communication to self-driving vehicles. Many of these antennas already exist, but testing their performance accurately is difficult because of the large anechoic chambers necessary to work with such low frequencies. Outdoor testing is another option, but this also requires a large outdoor range free from interference.

Jihun has developed a new technique for testing these antennas based on very-near-field measurements and a newly-developed, high-precision formula to compute the antenna’s radiation fields. This approach has proven to be very effective and time-efficient, and allows the measurements to take place in a small non-metallic indoor space.

This summer, Jihun will intern at the Army Research Laboratory, who funded this project. He hopes to continue there as a research scientist following graduation.

This paper will be presented at AP-S 2016 on June 26, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.

Explore:
Antennas; Applied Electromagnetics and RF Circuits; Communications; Graduate students; Information, Communication + Data Science; Kamal Sarabandi; Research News; Student News