DEVELOPMENT OF CONCEPT OF HARDWARE-SOFTWARE COMPLEX OF MODULAR DESIGN FOR DETERMINATION OF ANTENNA SYSTEMS׳ CHARACTERISTICS BASED ON MEASUREMENTS IN THE NEAR FIELD

Measuring the amplitude-phase distribution of the radiation field of complex antenna systems on a certain surface close to the radiating aperture allows solving the problem of reconstructing the free-space diagram in the far field and also helps in determining the influence of various structural elements and defects of radiating surfaces on formation of directional diagram. The purpose of this work was to develop a universal hardware-software complex of a modular design aimed for determining the characteristics of wide range of antenna systems in respect of measurements of the amplitude-phase distribution of the radiation field in the near zone. The equations that connect the structure of radiation fields of the antenna system at various distances from it in planar, cylindrical and spherical coordinate systems as well as structural diagrams of the hardware part of measuring complexes have been analyzed. As a result, the concept of constructing a universal hardware-software complex for measuring the radiation field of various types of antenna systems with any type of measurement surface for solving a wide range of applied problems has been developed. A modular structure of hardware and software has been proposed; it allows reconfiguring the complex rapidly in order to measure the characteristics of any particular antenna system at all stages of product development and testing, and also makes the complex economically accessible even for small enterprises and organizations.