Traditional to Modern Antenna Test Environments: The Impact of Robotics And Computational Electromagnetic Simulation on Modern Antenna Measurements

Many traditional antenna test facilities are designed with a specific measurement application in mind. As a result, these facilities tend to have fixed measurement geometries with much of the range performance analysis being performed only once, during the design phase of the test facilities implementation. Modern antenna measurement ranges employing multi-axis robotic positioners provide a near limitless degree of re-configurability in terms of measurement types and scan geometries. This drives an ongoing need to evaluate each unique setup and application. Model based Systems Engineering and development (MBSE/MBD) approaches can be employed to dramatically reduce the time, effort, and cost associated with the test development and validation phases of a given program. MBSE tools can also be used to optimize test configurations to greatly reduce measurement uncertainties. This paper provides an overview of how these engineering techniques are being harnessed during the implementation of a new dual multi-axis robotic antenna test system.