Efficient Antenna Tracking Algorithm for HAPS Ground Station in Millimeter-Wave

In this paper, we propose a tracking system for high-altitude platform (HAPS) ground station in millimeter-wave bands and validate the tracking system through fundamental experiments. In millimeter wave bands with large propagation loss, such as 38 GHz band, a HAPS ground station must accurately track a fluctuating HAPS and must operate with lower power consumption for HAPS in long time flight. Conventional tracking systems control a mechanically driven gimbal equipped with an aperture antenna or operate an active electronically scanned antenna, which have problems such as higher power consumption or high cost. The proposed tracking system in ground station consists of a mechanically driven gimbal, an array feeder, and dielectric lens antenna and operates cooperatively. Compared to the conventional tracking system, the proposed system has the characteristics of low power consumption, low cost, high gain, and plain composition. Through fundamental experiments substituting a simulated gimbal and a XY-stage for the mechanically driven gimbal and the array antenna, it has been quantitatively shown that the proposed tracking system can reduce the amount of operation of the mechanically driven gimbal with high power consumption.