Design and prototype development of an optimum symmetrical number system direction finding array

• Main Author: Papandreou, Panayiotis
• Other Authors: Pace, Phillip E.
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/8239

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. === One method of estimating the direction of an electromagnetic source is based on phase comparison. In this thesis the design and fabrication of a prototype antenna to demonstrate a new DF antenna architecture is described. Four antenna elements are grouped into three pairs with element spacing according to a set of symmetrical number system pairwise relatively prime moduli (m1 = 3, m2 = 4, m3=5). The phase difference between each pair of elements is a symmetrical folding waveform that is determined using a mixer. The output voltage from each pair is amplitude analyzed using a small comparator ladder. In each channel, the symmetrically folding waveform, folds in accordance with the channel modulus and thus, only requires a precision according to that modulus. A high resolution DF is achieved after the N different SNS moduli are used and the results of these low-precision channels are recombined to yield the direction of arrival. The frequency of operation of the prototype is 8.5 GHz. Results based on measured and simulated data are resented