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21  Advanced Array Antennas: Conformal Arrays and Digital Beamforming
The demand for evermore-sophisticated information from communication and radar systems leads to concomitant requirements on antenna performance. Conformal array antennas and digital beamforming are emerging technologies that can meet these demands. Conformal arrays, i.e. array antennas on curved surfaces, are suitable for integration on various vehicles: cars, aircraft, satellite bodies, etc. They can provide wide angular coverage, which makes them attractive for several communication and surveillance applications. With modern high-density packaging of microelectronic components a complete antenna system can be made as a thin multilayer design, a “smart skin”. Digital beamforming is a powerful technique to enhance antenna performance. DBF arrays digitize the received signals at the element level, thus preserving the total information available at the aperture, and then process these signals in the digital domain to form the desired beams. Microwave ICs, high-speed digital electronics and signal processors are now making DBF practical in many applications such as fast adaptive interference rejection, high resolution direction finding, ultra-low sidelobes, and various forms of adaptive space-time processing, both for communication and radar (incl. MIMO systems).
23  Satellite Communication Systems
Satellite communication systems allows exchange and delivery of information contents. Satellites are particularly appealing whenever large coverage is desired, and when either collect or broadcasting applications are considered. This course presents the techniques that are used and points out the performances that can be expected from geostationary satellite systems. Emphasis is placed on the trade-offs that can be exercised within the constraints of technology and regulations. The course is as practical as possible, underlying those techniques that are, or soon will be in use, with emphasis on performance trade-offs.

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