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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
81

Estimation of Atmospheric Phase Scintillation Via Decorrelation of Water Vapor Radiometer Signals

Nessel, James Aaron January 2015 (has links)
No description available.
82

A Conductor Backed, Coplanar Waveguide Fed, Linear Array Comprised of Bowtie Antennas for a Varactor Tuned Radiation Pattern

Sumanam, Satya Parthiva Sri 14 September 2016 (has links)
No description available.
83

A self calibration technique for a DOA array in the presence of mutual coupling and resonant scatterers

Horiki, Yasutaka 22 September 2006 (has links)
No description available.
84

Green flexible RF for 5G

Hussaini, Abubakar S., Abdulraheem, Yasir I., Voudouris, Konstantinos N., Mohammed, Buhari A., Abd-Alhameed, Raed, Mohammed, Husham J., Elfergani, Issa T., Abdullah, Abdulkareem S., Makris, D., Rodriguez, Jonathan, Noras, James M., Nche, C., Fonkam, M. January 2015 (has links)
No / 5th Generation mobile networks (5G) and mobile communications technologies beyond 2020 will need to be energy aware so as to support services that are likely to be intelligent and bandwidth hungry, as well as to support multi-mode operation (LTE, LTE+, HSDPA, 3G among others) in a HetNet environment. This imposes stringent design requirements on the RF transceiver, a key consumer of power in networks today. This chapter will investigate the key RF subsystems forming part of the 5G RF transceiver, where energy efficiency and full radio flexibility are at the forefront of system design. In particular, we target advanced designs on antenna systems, RF power amplifiers and the challenges facing cross-talk in MIMO architectures.
85

Low Profile, Printed Circuit, Dual-Band, Dual-Polarized Antenna Elements and Arrays

Dorsey, William Mark 06 May 2009 (has links)
Dual-band antenna elements that support dual-polarization provide ideal performance for applications including space-based platforms, multifunction radar, wireless communications, and personal electronic devices. In many communications and radar applications, a dual-band, dual-polarization antenna array becomes a requirement in order to produce an electronically steerable, directional beam capable of supporting multiple functions. The multiple polarizations and frequency bands allow the array to generate multiple simultaneous beams to support true multifunction radar. Many of the applications in spaced-based systems and personal electronic devices have strict restraints on the size and weight of the antenna element, favoring a low-profile, lightweight device. The research performed in this dissertation focuses on the design of a dual-band, dual-polarized antenna element capable of operating as an isolated element or in an array environment. The element contains two concentric, dual-polarized radiators. The low band radiator is a shorted square ring antenna, and the high band radiator is a square ring slot. Each constituent element achieves circular polarization through the introduction of triangular perturbations into opposing corners of the radiating element. This technique has been shown to introduce two, near-degenerate modes in the structure that – when excited in phase quadrature – combine to form circular polarization. The perturbations allow circular polarized operation with only a single feed point. The sense of the circular polarization is determined by the location of the feed point with respect to the perturbations. Both senses of circular polarization are excited by the introduction of orthogonal feeds for each of the two radiating elements. Thus, dual-ban, dual-circular polarization is obtained. The element achieves a low-profile from its printed circuit board realization. The high band square ring slot is realized in stripline. The orthogonal feeding transmission lines are printed on opposing sides of an electrically thin dielectric layer to allow them to cross without physically intersecting. This thin feeding substrate is sandwiched between two dielectric layers of matched dielectric constant. A ground plane is located on the top and bottom of the sandwiched dielectric structure, and the top ground plane contains the square ring slot with perturbed corners. Slotted stripline structures have been shown in the literature to excite a parallel-plate mode that can degrade overall performance of the antenna. Plated through holes are introduced at the outer perimeter of the square ring slot to short out this parallel-plate mode. The plated through holes (also called vias) serve as the shorting mechanism for the low band microstrip shorted square ring radiator. This element also contains triangular perturbations at opposing corners to excite circular polarization with a single feed point. In this element, orthogonal probe feeds are present to excite both senses of circular polarization. A dual-band, dual-polarized antenna element was built, tested, and compared to simulations. The constructed element operated at two distinct industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) frequency bands due to their popularity in low power communications. The antenna element was realized in a multilayer printed circuit layout. A complex design procedure was developed and submitted to a printed circuit board company who manufactured the antenna element. The s-parameters of the antenna were measured using a Network Analyzer, and the results show good agreement with simulations. The radiation and polarization characteristics were measured in a compact range facility. These results also agreed well with simulations. The measured results verify the simulation models that were used in the simulations and establish a confidence level in the feasibility of constructing this element. The dual-band, dual-polarization nature of this element was established through the construction and measurement of this element. A novel size reduction technique was developed that allows for significant reduction of the element's footprint. This size reduction facilitates the placement of this element within an array environment. The loading technique utilizes a structure analogous to a parallel-plate capacitor to drastically reduce the overall size of the low frequency shorted square ring. The loading structure uses a substrate that is separate from that of the radiating elements. This allows the load to use a high dielectric material to achieve a high capacitance without requiring the radiating elements to be printed on high dielectric material that is potentially expensive and lossy at microwave frequencies. The two frequency bands were selected to be in separate industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands. These frequency bands are increasingly popular in low power communication devices because unlicensed operation is permitted. The 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz ISM bands are commonly used for applications including Bluetooth technology, multiple 801.11 protocol, cellular phone technology, and cordless phones. The ISM bands were chosen for this antenna element due to their popularity, but this antenna is not restricted to these bands. The frequency ratio can be altered by controlling the dielectric constant used in the printed circuit board design, the parameters of the capacitive loading structure, and the size of the constituent elements that are used. After the size reduction technique is applied, the dual-band, dual-polarized elements can be placed in an array environment resulting in an array capable of generating both senses of circular polarization in the two, distinct ISM bands. This provides an aperture capable of supporting multiple functions. Depending on the applications required, the frequency bands of the antenna element can be altered to suit the particular system needs. The array analysis performed in this dissertation used a unique hybrid calculation technique that utilizes nine active element patterns to represent the patterns of the individual elements within a large antenna array. A common first look at array performance is achieved by multiplying the element pattern of an isolated element by an array factor containing the contributions of the geometrical arrangement of the antenna elements. This technique neglects mutual coupling between elements in the array that can alter the impedance match and radiation characteristics of the elements in the array. The active element pattern defines the radiation pattern of a given element in an array when all other elements are terminated in a matched impedance load. The active element pattern is unique for each element in an array. When these patterns are summed, the exact array pattern is obtained. While this technique has the advantage of accuracy, it is not ideal because it requires the simulation, calculation, or measurement of the pattern for each element in the array environment. The technique developed in this dissertation uses only nine active element patterns. These elements are then assigned to represent the active element patterns for all elements in the array depending on the geometrical region where the given element resides. This technique provides a compromise between the speed of using a single element pattern and the accuracy of using the unique active element pattern for each element in the array. The application of these two concentric, coplanar radiators along with the capacitive loading technique provides a unique contribution to the field of antenna engineering. The majority of dual-band antenna elements in the literature operate with a single polarization in each band. The ones that operate with dual-polarization in each band are typically limited to dual-linear polarization. Circular polarization is preferable to linear in many applications because it allows flexible orientation between the transmitting antenna and receiving antenna in a communications system, while also mitigating multipath effects that lead to signal fading. The ability to operate with two, orthogonal senses of circular polarization allows a system to reuse frequencies and double system capacity without requiring additional bandwidth. The uniqueness of this element lies in its ability to provide dual-circular polarization in two separate frequency bands for an individual element or an antenna array environment. The arrangement of the two element geometries with the addition of the novel capacitive loading technique is also unique. The performance of this element is achieved while maintaining the light weight, low profile design that is critical for many wireless communications applications. This dissertation provides a detailed description of the operation of this dual-band, dual-polarized antenna element. The design of the constituent elements is discussed for several polarization configurations to establish an understanding of the building blocks for this element. The dual-band, dual-polarized element is presented in detail to show the impedance match, isolation, and axial ratio performance. The capacitive loading technique is applied to the dual-band, dual-polarized element, and the performance with the loading in place is compared to the performance of the unloaded element. Next, there is an in-depth description of the array calculation technique that was developed to incorporate mutual coupling effects into the array calculations. This technique is then applied to the dual-band, dual-polarized array to show the performance of several array sizes. / Ph. D.
86

An aircraft based emulation platform and control model for LEO satellite antenna beam steering

Kruger, Iwan Carel 12 1900 (has links)
Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A joint project between the KU Leuven and Stellenbosch Universities was at the time of this thesis underway to develop a space borne electronically beam steerable antenna and the associated ground-space segments. This thesis covers the development of an aircraft based satellite emulator to facilitate convenient aircraft based testing of an antenna array, intended for low earth orbit satellite deployment and subsystems to control the antenna array. A flight strategy is developed to emulate such a satellite pass as best possible, with the strategy implemented in software on in-flight PC hardware. A full interface between the aircraft avionics and satellite bus system has been developed to enable generation of the required antenna steering commands and to create a satellite bus image to the payload. Successful test results are presented, as obtained from the actual aircraft ight simulator. The thesis describes the successful development and testing of a low altitude flight test strategy for certain satellite borne systems, as a cost-effective and realistic interim step to actual and very expensive space flight testing. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Gesamentlike projek deur KU Leuven en Stellenbosch Universiteit was tydens die verloop van hierdie tesis besig met die ontwikkeling om 'n ruimte gebaseerde elektroniese straal beheerde antenna en geassosieerde substelsels daar te stel. Hierdie tesis handel oor die ontwikkeling van 'n vliegtuig gebaseerde satelliet emulator om die toetsing van 'n elektroniese stuurbare antenna, wat bedoel is vir 'n lae aardse wentelbaan, te fasiliteer en die ontwikkeling van substelsels wat die stuurbare antenna beheer. 'n Vlug strategie is ontwikkel om so 'n satelliet wentelbaan so na as moontlik te emuleer. Die strategie word dan geïmplementeer in die sagteware van die aanboord vlug rekenaar. 'n Intervlak tussen die vliegtuig instrumente en satellietbus is ontwikkel om die generering van die nodinge instruksies te fasiliteer en om 'n virtuele satellietbus vir die res van die satelliet stelsel te skep. Suksesvolle toets resultate word getoon wat met behulp van 'n vliegtuig simulator verkry is. Die tesis beskryf die suksesvolle ontwikkeling en toetsing van 'n lae vlugtoets strategie vir satelliet stelsels, as 'n koste effektiewe en realistiese tussenstap, tot baie duur ruimte vlugtoetsing.
87

Design and analysis of an antenna array system for communication using high-altitude platforms / Projeto e análise de um sistema de rede de antenas para comunicação utilizando plataformas de alta altitude

Magalhães, Marcelo Pereira 12 May 2017 (has links)
Submitted by Marlucy Farias Medeiros (marlucy.farias@unipampa.edu.br) on 2017-10-02T18:23:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Pereira Magalhães - 2017.pdf: 16186012 bytes, checksum: dc2e2c4f42a58ebcadb895281114a36d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marlucy Farias Medeiros (marlucy.farias@unipampa.edu.br) on 2017-10-04T17:35:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Pereira Magalhães - 2017.pdf: 16186012 bytes, checksum: dc2e2c4f42a58ebcadb895281114a36d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-04T17:35:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Pereira Magalhães - 2017.pdf: 16186012 bytes, checksum: dc2e2c4f42a58ebcadb895281114a36d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-12 / This thesis presents the design and analysis of an antenna array system for mobile communication services in a scenario using high altitude platforms (HAPs). For this purpose, a dual-band and dual-polarized microstrip antenna array has been designed, whereby the array should receive the signal in one band and resend it in the other operating band. These requirements have been fulfilled by using a stacked arrangement, whereby each patch has been fed by independent feed lines. Circular polarization was obtained by the use of square patches with truncated corners. Optimizations were needed so as to compensate the effects of mutual coupling on the axial ratio level. To perform the radiation pattern synthesis for the transmission function, an algorithm to calculate the required excitation coefficients was employed to steer the main beam and to control the side lobe level. Additionally to the array design, the development of the high-frequency (HF) circuitry for the retransmission is described. The design of the transmitter was done using off-the-shelf components, which have been tested individually prior to the final integration into the final layout. During the tests, the need of knowledge of the electromagnetic properties of the printed circuit layout and the active/passive components is crucial for a successful design. In order to accelerate the development of HF circuitry, a procedure to perform electromagnetic simulations of HF printed circuit boards is proposed. Experimental results demonstrated that this procedure yielded accurate engineering predictions. / Este trabalho apresenta o projeto e análise de um sistema de rede de antenas para serviços de comunicações móveis em um cenário empregando plataformas de alta altitude (HAPs). Para este fim, uma rede de antenas de microfita foi projetada para operar em dupla-banda e dupla-polarização, onde a rede deve receber o sinal em uma banda e reenviá-lo em outra. Esses requisitos foram cumpridos usando uma rede de antenas com m´ultiplas camadas, onde cada patch foi alimentado por linhas de alimentação independentes. A polarização circular foi obtida pelo uso de patches quadrados com os cantos truncados. Foram necessárias otimizações para compensar os efeitos de acoplamento mútuo no nível da razão axial. Para realizar o controle do diagrama de irradiação para o modo de transmissão, utilizou-se um algoritmo para calcular os pesos necessários para apontar o lóbulo principal e controlar o nível dos lóbulos laterais. Adicionalmente ao projeto da rede, o desenvolvimento de um circuito em alta frequência (HF) para a retransmissão foi descrito. O projeto do circuito transmissor foi realizado empregando componentes comerciais, que foram testados individualmente antes da integração final. Durante os testes em bancada, ficou evidente a necessidade de predição do comportamento eletromagnético do layout da placa de circuito impresso e dos componentes ativos/passivos para obtenção de bons resultados. Com o intuito de acelerar o processo de desenvolvimento de circuitos em HF, um procedimento para a realização de simulações eletromagnéticas de placas de circuito impresso foi proposto. Os resultados experimentais demonstraram que este procedimento produziu bons resultados.
88

A study of beamforming and beamshaping techniques for uniformly and non-uniformly spaced arrays

Lemes, Daniel Lima 05 April 2018 (has links)
Submitted by Marlucy Farias Medeiros (marlucy.farias@unipampa.edu.br) on 2018-05-11T18:52:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel_Lemes - 2018.pdf: 18189235 bytes, checksum: 1ee5df4451f15272b5fcd3e07ef614e8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Dayse Pestana (dayse.pestana@unipampa.edu.br) on 2018-05-14T12:00:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel_Lemes - 2018.pdf: 18189235 bytes, checksum: 1ee5df4451f15272b5fcd3e07ef614e8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-14T12:00:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel_Lemes - 2018.pdf: 18189235 bytes, checksum: 1ee5df4451f15272b5fcd3e07ef614e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-05 / The main goal of this work was to develop a MATLAB-based co de capable of finding the optimum values for amplitudes, phases and spacings of a non-uniformly spaced linear antenna array for a specified purpose. This tool allowed investigating the influence of the relative spacings between the elements of an antenna array in its radiation pattern. Two optimization methods were implemented: PSO (Particle swarm optimization), which is an evolutionary heuristic based on the social interaction and movement of swarms, and Taguchi’s method, which is based on orthogonal arrays to reduce the number of experiments needed to find the optimum value of a given variable. Different optimization goals were investigated, so that a comparison between these techniques has been done. The developed co de was applied to solve two practical problems. In the first one, a dual-band antenna array for base stations of mobile communication systems was modeled and its amplitudes, phases and spacings were optimized. By doing so, it was possible to mitigate the granting lobes that app eared in the pattern in the higher band, because the relative spacings between the elements could not be smaller than λ0. The pattern of this array was also shaped following a squared cosecant contour, in order to illuminate a pico-cell with uniform power. The results of the optimizations in both bands were validated using the commercial software Ansys HFSS and a study about the influence of the mutual coupling in the pattern was done. The second practical problem was to design an antenna array with beamshaping. By using the proposed code, it was possible to reduce the number of array elements from seven to four comparing to an uniformly spaced array. The optimization was split into two parts in order to mitigate the influence of the mutual coupling. A passive feeder for the optimized array was designed and a prototype was manufactured. The results were validated using HFSS and by measurements. The complete development of the array and of the feeder are detailed in this work. Finally, the design of a transmitter for adaptive beamshaping is described. The architecture nis capable to change the phase and power level of the signal, hence allowing to deliver the weights optimized by the proposed code to the antenna array. A modular concept was chosen in order to increase the flexibility of the transmitter. The device translates the input frequency from 500 MHz to 7 GHz, in order to deliver the weights to the antenna array. Eight transmitters were assembled and they were coupled to the antenna array in order to test their functionality. The patterns were measured in an anechoic chamber. All measured results of the transmitter are presented. / O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma ferramenta computacional em MATLAB capaz de otimizar as fases, as amplitudes e os espaçamentos de uma rede de antenas, a fim de satisfazer um determinado objetivo. De posse dessa ferramenta, foi possível analisar a influência do espaçamento relativo entre os elementos de uma rede no diagrama da mesma. Dois métodos de otimização foram implementados: PSO (Particle Swarm Opmitization), baseado na interação social e no movimento de um enxame, e o método de Taguchi, que utiliza matrizes ortogonais para diminuir o número de testes necessários para otimizar uma variável. Diferentes cenários foram analisados de forma a permitir uma comparação entre os dois métodos. O código desenvolvido foi aplicado a dois problemas práticos. No primeiro deles, uma rede de antenas dupla-faixa para emprego em estações rádio base de sistemas de comunicações móveis foi modelada e suas amplitudes, fases e espaçamentos foram otimizados. Como na banda mais alta o espaçamento entre os elementos não podia ser menor que λ0., fez-se necessário otimizar os espaçamentos para controle dos grating lobes. O diagrama dessa rede foi também conformado seguindo um contorno em cossecante ao quadrado, para iluminar uma certa região com potência uniforme. Os resultados de todas as otimizações em ambas bandas foram validados usando o software Ansys HFSS e um estudo sobre a influência do acoplamento mútuo foi feito. O segundo caso consistiu na otimização de uma rede de antenas com conformação de feixe. Foi possível diminuir o número de elementos de sete para quatro em comparação a uma rede com elementos uniformemente espaçados. A otimização foi dividida em duas partes para compensar o efeito do acoplamento mútuo. Para a rede otimizada, um sistema alimentador passivo foi desenvolvido e um protótipo foi fabricado. Os resultados foram validados com simulações no software comercial Ansys HFSS e, também, por medições. Todo o projeto da rede e do alimentador é detalhado neste trabalho. Finalmente, o desenvolvimento de um circuito transmissor para beamshaping adaptativo ´e detalhado. Tal sistema é composto por um defasador e um amplificador de ganho variável, com os quais é possível inserir as amplitudes e fases, otimizadas pelo código proposto, em uma rede de antenas. Desenvolveu-se um transmissor modular, a fim de aumentar a flexibilidade do sistema. A frequência de entrada do transmissor é de 500 MHz, que é transladada para 7 GHz antes de ser entregue à rede de antenas. Foram fabricados oito transmissores, os quais foram acoplados a uma rede de antenas para testar suas funcionalidades. Os diagramas de irradiação foram medidos em câmera anecóica. Todo o desenvolvimento e medições de cada componente do transmissor são também mostrados neste trabalho.
89

Détection et filtrage rang faible pour le traitement d'antenne utilisant la théorie des matrices aléatoires en grandes dimensions / Low rank detection and estimation using random matrix theory approaches for antenna array processing

Combernoux, Alice 29 January 2016 (has links)
Partant du constat que dans plus en plus d'applications, la taille des données à traiter augmente, il semble pertinent d'utiliser des outils appropriés tels que la théorie des matrices aléatoires dans le régime en grandes dimensions. Plus particulièrement, dans les applications de traitement d'antenne et radar spécifiques STAP et MIMO-STAP, nous nous sommes intéressés au traitement d'un signal d'intérêt corrompu par un bruit additif composé d'une partie dite rang faible et d'un bruit blanc gaussien. Ainsi l'objet de cette thèse est d'étudier dans le régime en grandes dimensions la détection et le filtrage dit rang faible (fonction de projecteurs) pour le traitement d'antenne en utilisant la théorie des matrices aléatoires.La thèse propose alors trois contributions principales, dans le cadre de l'analyse asymptotique de fonctionnelles de projecteurs. Ainsi, premièrement, le régime en grandes dimensions permet ici de déterminer une approximation/prédiction des performances théoriques non asymptotiques, plus précise que ce qui existe actuellement en régime asymptotique classique (le nombre de données d'estimation tends vers l'infini à taille des données fixe). Deuxièmement, deux nouveaux filtres et deux nouveaux détecteurs adaptatifs rang faible ont été proposés et il a été montré qu'ils présentaient de meilleures performances en fonction des paramètres du système en terme de perte en RSB, probabilité de fausse alarme et probabilité de détection. Enfin, les résultats ont été validés sur une application de brouillage, puis appliqués aux traitements radar STAP et MIMO-STAP sparse. L'étude a alors mis en évidence une différence notable avec l'application de brouillage liée aux modèles de matrice de covariance traités dans cette thèse. / Nowadays, more and more applications deal with increasing dimensions. Thus, it seems relevant to exploit the appropriated tools as the random matrix theory in the large dimensional regime. More particularly, in the specific array processing applications as the STAP and MIMO-STAP radar applications, we were interested in the treatment of a signal of interest corrupted by an additive noise composed of a low rang noise and a white Gaussian. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to study the low rank filtering and detection (function of projectors) in the large dimensional regime for array processing with random matrix theory tools.This thesis has three main contributions in the context of asymptotic analysis of projector functionals. Thus, the large dimensional regime first allows to determine an approximation/prediction of theoretical non asymptotic performance, much more precise than the literature in the classical asymptotic regime (when the number of estimation data tends to infinity at a fixed dimension). Secondly, two new low rank adaptive filters and detectors have been proposed and it has been shown that they have better performance as a function of the system parameters, in terms of SINR loss, false alarm probability and detection probability. Finally, the results have been validated on a jamming application and have been secondly applied to the STAP and sparse MIMO-STAP processings. Hence, the study highlighted a noticeable difference with the jamming application, related to the covariance matrix models concerned by this thesis.
90

Wearable devices for microwave head diagnostic systems

Bashri, Mohd Saiful Riza January 2018 (has links)
Although current head imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) are capable of providing accurate diagnosis of brain injuries such as stroke and brain tumour, they have several limitations including high cost, long scanning time, bulky and mostly stationary. On the other hand, radar-based microwave imaging technology can offer a low cost, non-invasive and non-ionisation method to complement these existing imaging techniques. Moreover, a compact and wearable device for microwave head imaging is required to facilitate frequent or real-time monitoring of a patient by providing more comfort to the patient. Therefore, a wearable head imaging device would be a significant advantage compared to the existing wideband microwave head sensing devices which typically utilise rigid antenna structure. Furthermore, the wearable device can be integrated into different microwave imaging setups such as real-time wearable head imaging systems, portable systems and conventional stationary imaging tools for use in hospitals and clinics. This thesis presents the design and development of wearable devices utilising flexible antenna arrays and compact radio frequency (RF) switching circuits for wideband microwave head imaging applications. The design and characterisation of sensing antennas using flexible materials for the wearable head imaging device are presented in the first stage of this study. There are two main variations of monopole antennas that have been developed in this research, namely trapezoidal and elliptical configurations. The antennas have been fabricated using different flexible substrate materials such as flexible FR-4, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and textile. Wideband performances of the antennas have been achieved by optimising their co-planar waveguide feeding line structures. Importantly, the efficiencies of the fabricated antennas have been tested using a realistic human head phantom by evaluating their impedance matching performances when operating in close proximity to the head phantom. The second stage of the study presents the development of wearable antenna arrays using the proposed flexible antennas. The first prototype has been built using an array of 12 flexible antennas and a conformal absorbing material backed with a conductive sheet to suppress the back lobe radiation of the monopole antennas. Additionally, the absorber also acts as a mounting base to hold the antennas where the wearable device can be comfortably worn like a hat during the measurement and monitoring processes. The effect of mutual coupling between adjacent antennas in the array has been investigated and optimised. However, the use of the absorbing material makes the device slightly rigid where it can only be fitted on a specific head size. Thus, a second prototype has been developed by using a head band to realise a stretchable configuration that can be mounted on different sizes of human heads. Furthermore, due to the stretchable characteristic of the prototype, the antennas can be firmly held in their positions when measurements are made. In addition, fully textile based sensing antennas are employed in this prototype making it perfectly suitable for monitoring purposes. Low cost and compact switching circuits to provide switching mechanism for the wearable antenna array are presented in the third stage of this study. The switching circuit is integrated with the antenna array to form a novel wearable microwave head imaging device eliminating the use of external bulky switching network. The switching circuit has been built using off-the-shelf components where it can be controlled wirelessly over Bluetooth connection. Then, a new integrated switching circuit prototype has been fabricated using 6-layer printed circuit board (PCB) technology. For the purpose of impedance matching for the radio-frequency (RF) routing lines on the circuit, a wideband Microstrip-to-Microstrip transition is utilised. The final stage of this study investigates the efficacy and sensitivity of the proposed wearable devices by performing experiments on developed realistic human head phantoms. Initially, a human head phantom has been fabricated using food-based ingredients such as tap water, sugar, salt, and agar. Subsequently, lamb's brains have been used to improve the head phantom employed in the experiments to better mimic the heterogeneous human brain. In terms of imaging process, an interpolation technique developed using experimental data has been proposed to assist the localisation of a haemorrhage stroke location using the confocal delay-and-sum algorithm. This new technique is able to provide sensible accuracy of the location of the blood clot inside the brain. The wearable antenna arrays using flexible antennas and their integrations with compact and low cost switching circuits reported in this thesis make valuable contribution to microwave head imaging field. It is expected that a low-cost, compact and wearable radar-based microwave head imaging can be fully realised in the future for wide range of applications including static scanning setup in hospitals, portable equipment in ambulances and as a standalone wearable head monitoring system for remote and real-time monitoring purposes.

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