A Compact Rx Antenna Integration for 3D Direction-Finding Passive Radar

Abstract

A compact receiving (Rx) antenna integration for 3D direction-finding passive radar is proposed. The proposed antenna integration consists of two Yagi antennas and two waveguide slot antennas. The antennas are mounted on four sides of a parallelepiped polycarbonate module with the same type of antennas facing each other on the opposite sides of the module. The antenna is designed for a direction-finding radar system as an Rx terminal on an avionic vehicle with a separate Tx base station on the ground. The proposed antenna integration demonstrates a maximum return loss of 9.6 dB (voltage standing wave ratio 2: 1) ranging from 9.7 to 10.2 GHz in the X band and has suitable radiation patterns for direction-finding system in both the xz and yz planes. In addition, the proposed antenna integration has the compact size and light gross weight of 37 mm x 46 mm x 50 mm and 97 g, respectively, making it suitable for application in an avionic system.