Application of error correction technologies to near-field antenna measurement systems

Near-field antenna measurement systems have been adopted by nearly all major aerospace companies as the preferred method of measuring antenna performance. This paper presents an overview of the latest application of patented optical and thermal error correction technologies to improve the measurement accuracy of large near-field scanners. A patented optical measurement system will be discussed which measures X and Y position, and X, Y and Z position errors. A patented motion tracking interferometer (MTI) technique has also been developed to compensate for thermally induced structural deformation.