In biomedical applications realistic phantoms are becoming more useful for validation and testing of precursor systems. These artificial phantoms require stable and flexible tissue-mimicking materials with realistic dielectric properties in order to properly model human tissues. We have fabricated a low-water-content, low cost, mechanically and electrically stable, good shelf life and multi-layered heterogeneous phantom consisting of skin, fat and muscle tissues. We have chosen semi-solid type phantom for each tissue layer. The size and thickness of the each layer is chosen based on the average thickness of human tissue. Altering the ingredient composition wisely we can alter its dielectric properties also. By reason of no osmosis occurrence, the tissues can be employed to construct heterogeneous phantoms or even anthropomorphic phantoms without causing any changes in geometry or electrical properties. The performance of the fabricated phantom is carried out using an open-ended coaxial slim probe system by Agilent Technologies. Nearly all previous studies were based on very high frequency( VHF), so we present ultra-wide band (UWB), 500MHz-20GHz multilayered phantoms. We have measured our phantom after 2 month time period and we got quite good results for the dielectric properties without having significant variations. Thus, our fabricated sets of ATE phantom have good long lasting properties with good physical and dielectric stability.

An autonomous system consisting of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in cooperation with an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is of interest in applications for military reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA). The basic idea of such a system is to take advantage of the vehicles strengths and counteract their weaknesses. The cooperation aspect suggests that the UAV is capable of autonomously landing on the UGV. A fundamental part of the landing is to localise the UAV with respect to the UGV. Traditional navigation systems utilise global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers for localisation. GNSS receivers have many advantages, but they are sensitive to interference and spoofing. Therefore, this thesis investigates the feasibility of autonomous landing in a GNSS-denied scenario. The proposed landing system is divided into a control and an estimation system. The control system uses a proportional navigation (PN) control law to approach the UGV. When sufficiently close, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is used to match the movements of the UGV and perform a controlled descent and landing. The estimation system comprises an extended Kalman filter that utilises measurements from a camera, an imu and ultra-wide band (UWB) impulse radios. The landing system is composed of various results from previous research. First, the sensors used by the landing system are evaluated experimentally to get an understanding of their characteristics. The results are then used to determine the optimal sensor placements, in the design of the EKF, as well as, to shape the simulation environment and make it realistic. The simulation environment is used to evaluate the proposed landing system. The combined system is able to land the UAV safely on the moving UGV, confirming a fully-functional landing system. Additionally, the estimation system is evaluated experimentally, with results comparable to those obtained in simulation. The overall results are promising for the possibility of using the landing system with the presented hardware platform to perform a successful landing.

De nos jours les applications spatiales nécessitent d’embarquer toujours plus d’équipements afin de rendre les missions les plus complètes possibles. Cependant l’espace à bord des satellites est une ressource limitée et par conséquent, la miniaturisation de l’électronique embarquée est une nécessité cruciale. Dans les applications embarquées couvrant plusieurs plages de fréquence différentes, l’utilisation d’antennes ultra large bande (ULB) est une solution classique et efficace pour limiter le nombre d’antennes et de circuits associés. Leur miniaturisation présente donc un enjeu scientifique majeur. Une technique de miniaturisation consistant à charger une antenne spirale d’Archimède par un empilement d’anneaux résonants et couplés a récemment été découverte [1]-[3]. Elle permet une diminution de l’ordre de 35% du diamètre de l’antenne sans dégradation notable des performances en rayonnement. Les travaux de cette thèse permettent d’affiner la compréhension physique du rôle joué par les anneaux dans le phénomène de miniaturisation. Un circuit électrique équivalent est élaboré sur la base d’équations intégrales utilisant des fonctions d’essai étendues et le concept d’impédance de surface réactive. Ce circuit permet de simuler la réponse électromagnétique des anneaux empilés et couplés 10 fois plus vite qu’en utilisant des logiciels de simulation commerciaux et rigoureux. Ce gain de temps est mis à profit pour tester un nombre de combinaisons importants de solutions parmi lesquelles il est possible d’identifier la structure optimale pour la miniaturisation de la spirale d’Archimède chargée par des anneaux empilés et résonants. Pour maximiser l’effet des anneaux résonants couplés dans la miniaturisation de l’antenne, le choix de la fréquence de résonance des anneaux est crucial. Cette fréquence doit être suffisamment basse et permettre à l’antenne de rester adaptée en impédance sur la bande de fréquence la plus large possible. La fréquence de résonance des anneaux dépend du périmètre déployé des anneaux. Ce périmètre est fixé par le choix du motif de base et par le nombre de ses répétitions le long des anneaux. Une méthode rapide pour choisir le motif le plus adapté à la conception de l’antenne miniaturisée est présentée. Cette méthode et le circuit électrique équivalent permettent la conception optimisée et rapide d’une antenne ULB miniature. La validation de cette méthodologie de conception s’est faite expérimentalement sur la base de plusieurs réalisations. / Currently space applications require to embark more and more equipment to make the most complete missions possible. However, the space on satellites is a limited resource, therefore miniaturization of embedded electronics is a crucial requirement. In embedded applications covering several frequency ranges, use Ultra WideBand antennas (UWB) is a classic and effective solution to limiting the number of antennas and associated circuits. Therefore, the miniaturization of UWB antennas is a major scientific challenge. A miniaturization technique was recently discovered [1] - [3]. It consists to load an Archimedean spiral antenna by stacking coupled resonant rings. This technique allows a reduction of about 35% of the diameter of the antenna without significant degradation of radiating performances. The work of this thesis allows to improve the physical understanding of the role played by the rings in the miniaturization process. An equivalent circuit is developed on the basis of integral equations using extended test functions and the concept of surface impedance. This circuit simulates the electromagnetic response of the coupled and stacked rings 10 times faster than using commercial and rigorous simulation software. This time saving is employed to test a large number of solutions from which it is possible to identify the optimal structure for the miniaturization of the Archimedean spiral loaded with stacked resonant rings. To maximize the effect of coupled resonant rings in the miniaturization of the antenna, the choice of the resonant frequency of the rings is essential. This frequency must be low enough and allow the antenna to stay matched over the widest possible frequency band. The resonant frequency of the rings depends on the deployed perimeter of the rings. The perimeter length is fixed by the choice of the pattern and its number of repetitions along the rings. A quick methodology to select the most suitable pattern for the design of the miniaturized antenna is presented. This method and the equivalent electrical circuit enable a quick and optimized design of a miniature UWB antenna. The validation of this design methodology was done experimentally on the basis of several realizations.

No description available.

Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication new technology with ability to share the FCC allocated frequency spectrum, large channel capacity and data rate, simple transceiver architecture and high performance in noisy environments. Such communication advantages have paved the way for emerging wireless technologies such as wireless high definition video streaming, wireless sensor networks and more. This thesis examines orthogonal frequency coded surface acoustic wave (SAW) correlators for use in advanced UWB communication systems. Orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) and pseudo-noise (PN) coding provides a means for UWB spreading of data. The use of OFC spectrally spreads a PN sequence beyond that of CDMA because of the increased bandwidth; allowing for improved correlation gain. The transceiver approach is still very similar to that of the CDMA approach but provides greater code diversity. Use of SAW correlators eliminates many of the costly components that are needed in the IF block in the transmitter and receiver, and reduces much of the signal processing requirements. The OFC SAW correlator device consists of a dispersive OFC transducer and a wideband output transducer. The dispersive filter was designed using seven contiguous chip frequencies within the transducer. Each chip is weighted in the transducer to account for the varying conductance of the chips and to compensate for the output transducer apodization. Experimental correlator results of an OFC SAW correlation filter are presented. The dispersive filter is designed using seven contiguous chip frequencies within the transducer. SAW correlators with fractional bandwidth of approximately 29% were fabricated on lithium niobate (LiNbO3) having a center frequency of 250 MHz and the filter has a processing gain of 49. A coupling of modes (COM) model is used to predict the experimental SAW filter response. Discussion of the filter design, analysis and measurements are presented. Results are shown for operation in a matched filter correlator for use in an UWB communication system and compared to predictions.

Modern smartphone technology has created a myriad of opportunities in the field of RF and Microwave. Specifically, Chipless RFID sensor, compact microwave filter, antenna based on a microstrip structure, and many more. In this thesis, innovative ideas for the industrial and biomedical device has been explored. The work presents the reconfigurable filter design, Switch-beam antenna, Microwave interferometer, X-band Rotman Lens antenna, Ultra-wideband antenna based on SIW resonator, L-band Stepped Frequency Continuous Wave antenna, development of a wireless sensor system for environmental monitoring, Indoor Air Quality monitoring, and Wildfire Monitoring based on the modulated scattering technique (MST). The MST sensor probes are based on the scattering properties of small passive antennas and radiate part of the impinging electromagnetic field generated by an interrogating antenna, which also acquires the backscattered signal as information. The MST probes are able to deliver data without a radio frequency front end. They use a simple circuit that alternatively terminates the antenna probe on suitable loads to generate a low modulation signal on the backscattered electromagnetic wave. The antenna presented in this work has been designed in ADS Software by Keysight Technologies. The designed antenna has been assessed numerically and experimentally. The experimental measurement data demonstrate the effectiveness of the individual system. Simultaneously, the MST sensor system has been proposed to obtain the best performance in communication range, load efficiency, and power harvesting. The MST sensor has been fabricated and assessed in practical scenarios. The proposed prototype, able to provide a communication range of about 15 m, serves as a proof-of-concept. The acquired measurements of MST demonstrate the accuracy of the data without radio frequency front end or bulky wired connection with the same efficiency of standard wireless sensors such as radio frequency identifier (RFID) or wireless sensor networks (WSN).

Yes / In this paper, balanced dual segment cylindrical dielectric antennas (CDRA) with ultra wide-band operation are reported. First a T-shaped slot and L-shaped microstrip feeding line are suggested to furnish a balanced coupling mechanism for feeding two DRAs. Performance of the proposed antenna was analyzed and optimized against the target frequency band. The proposed antenna was then modified by adding a C-shaped strip to increase the gain. The performances of both balanced antennas were characterized and optimized in terms of antenna reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and gain. The antennas cover the frequency range from 6.4 GHz to 11.736 GHz, which is 58.7% bandwidth. A maximum gain of 2.66 dB was achieved at a frequency of 7 GHz with the first antenna, with a further 2.25 dB increase in maximum gain attained by adding the C-shaped strip. For validation, prototypes of the two antennas were fabricated and tested. The predicted and measured results showed reasonable agreement and the results confirmed good impedance bandwidth characteristics for ultra-wideband operation from both proposed balanced antennas.

This thesis describes the theoretical development, design, and implementation of a novel measurement system, called a Sampling Swept Time Delay Short Pulse (SSTDSP) wireless channel sounder, capable of real time in field performance characterization of high speed fixed wireless links. The SSTDSP sounder has been designed to provide vital performance metrics for fixed point high data rate applications in the 28 GHz LMDS band at a fraction of the cost and complexity of existing wideband channel sounders. The SSTDSP sounder monitors the behavior of the LMDS channel by sampling the impulse response of the channel in real time. This digitized impulse response is used to assemble a power delay profile and render real-time channel performance metrics such as the mean excess delay, RMS delay spread, maximum excess delay for a given multipath threshold, and coherence bandwidth. The SSTDSP sounder is capable of recording these metrics through three modes of operation - continuous channel monitoring, single instant channel snapshot, or data logging. Swept time delay time dilation processing is combined with precise sample and hold gating to reduce the analog to digital converter sampling rate required to digitize the nanosecond short pulses from 2 Gsps to 1 Msps, while retaining the required effective Nyquist sampling rate of 2 Gsps. This dramatically reduces the memory, digital signal processing, and data logging storage requirements as well as the overall cost of the sounder system. The thesis presents the theory behind channel sounding and discusses whether there is a "bounce path" available to LMDS. Several existing channel sounding methods are compared for this application. A number of specific design and performance criteria from each of these methods are synthesized to produce the Sampling Swept Time Delay Short Pulse Sounder architecture. The design and implementation process used to realize the SSTDSP sounder is presented, including a system overview, module details, and algorithm development details. A calibration and measurement test procedure is outlined and system verification results are presented. Current work in progress on the test platform and future improvements to the modular system are outlined, as well as conclusions and future implications of the system. / Master of Science

L'Ultra Wide Band (UWB) est une technique de communication radio à haut débit et courte portée qui utilise des bandes de fréquence de 500 MHz à plusieurs GHz. Cette thèse présente une caractérisation expérimentale du canal de propagation UWB afin de proposer des modèles pour le développement de ces systèmes.<br />Les deux techniques de sondage proposées permettent la mesure du canal statique dans la bande 3,1 – 11,1 GHz et le sondage en temps réel dans la bande 4 – 5 GHz. Plusieurs campagnes de mesure réalisées en environnement intérieur de bureau sont détaillées. Leur analyse permet de dégager les paramètres grande échelle et les évanouissements rapides du canal statique, avec une étude particulière de l'influence de la fréquence. Des études spécifiques sont dédiées aux variations du canal UWB dues au mouvement des antennes et au passage de personnes. Un modèle statistique est proposé, permettant de reproduire les effets du canal de propagation UWB, en configurations statique et dynamique.

none