Development of a DBF array system with a single SDR receiver

• Main Author: Wu, Jinyang
• Other Authors: Lu Yilong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Antennas, wave guides, microwaves, radar, radio
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/64316
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Radar is one of the most important sensors in military and civilian applications. Digital beam forming (DBF) antenna array is an emerging technology for modern radar and wireless communication system. DBF has many attractive features than traditional analogy beam forming (ABF) antenna array, such as fast scanning, simultaneous multiple target detection, adaptive beam forming for better suppression of strong interferences. This project is to design and develop a switch and control unit for time-division multiplexing (TDM) based low cost DBF array system with a single SDR receiver. The radio frequency (RF) switches are used to allow the RF signal passing through. And a control station which is designed and developed by using the Visual Basic software development tool. The control station mainly used to communicate with the Microchip which is used for controlling RF switch chips. The developed switch units are integrated with an antenna array to construct a low DBF array test bed that is be used to test new DBF algorithms. The new control method which use software based control unit station is more convenient for antenna array application and much cheaper than the hardware switch control system which is still mainly used nowadays.