A Miniaturized Multiband Antenna Array for Robust Navigation in Aerial Applications

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Satellite navigation is increasingly vital across diverse sectors, including autonomous driving and aviation.
• Growing reliance on satellite navigation necessitates robust systems against intentional and unintentional interference.
• Mobile applications face significant constraints in size and weight for navigation systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a miniaturized antenna array for enhanced satellite navigation robustness.
• To enable multi-band operation and interference mitigation in a compact form factor.
• To meet the needs of dual-frequency multi-constellation (DFMC) systems for aerial platforms.

Main Methods:

• Design and implementation of a five-element (4+1) miniaturized antenna array.
• Operation across L1/E1 (array) and L5/E5 (single antenna) frequency bands.
• Ensuring compliance with standard single-antenna footprints (3.5-inch).

Main Results:

• The antenna array achieves a compact 3.5-inch footprint, suitable for single-antenna applications.
• Demonstrated multiband capability for L1/E1 and L5/E5 frequencies.
• The design meets DFMC system requirements, enabling dual-frequency operation.

Conclusions:

• The miniaturized antenna array offers a viable solution for robust satellite navigation in size-constrained mobile applications.
• Its small form factor and multi-band capabilities facilitate integration into future aerial platforms.
• The array enhances interference mitigation through multi-antenna processing, improving navigation reliability.