SBIR-STTR Award

Telemetry of data from an air vehicle to ground processing and display facilities is required in many test and training missions. The test and training communities have seen a twenty fold increase in the telemetry data rates over the past 10 years. When this increase in need is coupled with the reduction in available spectrum, caused by the sell-off of government spectrum, the combination creates a major test and training cost and schedule impact to major weapons system programs. Advances in technology may make the application of directional antennas to telemetry practical. WEO proposes to develop an affordable, directional airborne telemetry antenna to functionally replace existing omni-directional antennas on a variety of test vehicles. The approach is based mainly on a helmet-mounted beam-steered array WEO recently developed for the US Army, which represents the first affordable battery-operated smart array antenna. With respect to geolocation and adaptive beam control, the proposed research will also draw heavily from WEO's 3-year experience in developing an ultra-wideband photonically-controlled phased array. This beam-steered array antenna will allow the ranges to support more missions without additional spectrum by letting multiple telemetry users to operate on the same frequency, on the same range, with different acquisition antennas.

A twenty-fold increase in the telemetry data rates over the past 10 years, coupled with the reduction in available spectrum and the proliferation of various wireless systems, makes it necessary to increase the efficiency and quality of aeronautical telemetry (TM) systems. The objective of this program is to develop affordable directional airborne TM antennas to functionally replace existing omni-directional antennas on a variety of test vehicles. Beam steering of the antenna can be driven by position cues from GPS (Global Positioning System) inputs and later integrated with INS (Inertial Navigation System) data. In Phase-I, WEO (Wang Electro-Opto Corporation) demonstrated the feasibility of a directional airborne TM array antenna by using its patented antenna technologies and by taking advantage of recent advance in low-cost electronics and software relevant to "smart" directional antennas. WEO proposes a Basic Phase-II Program to develop a brassboard GPS-controlled directional TM antenna system, including flight-test, and an Optional Effort to develop an integrated GPS/INS control and a technique to reduce TM interference with onboard GPS receiver.

Benefits:
Small directional antennas could revolutionize the commercial communications industry. Initial commercial applications include commercial airliners, freight companies, and telecommunications companies (proposing the use of UAVs and LEO satellites as data relays).