Performance Analysis and Occultation Judgment for the Hemispherical Coverage Multi-planar Arrays Antenna

A flexible hemispherical coverage array antenna based on multi鄄planar arrays is proposed to meet the growing demands for multi-target TT&C. Compared with spherical array antenna, multi-planar arrays antenna is an advisable choice for ground station in terms of performance and fabrication. Meanwhile, the influence of different planar number on antenna beampattern is analyzed. Considering the influence of occultation effect on the antenna performance, an effective occultation algorithm is presented. Firstly, the faces in bright area are projected on the plane that is perpendicular with the direction of coming wave. Secondly, adopting the principle of line segment intersection, the intersect relationship of projective planes is determined. Finally, the facets shadowing relationship is judged by the overlapping and depth-of-view of facets along the coming wave direction. Theoretical analyses and simulation results show that the antenna has approximate uniform gain beampattern in different steered angle and the occultation algorithm is feasible and effective.