Development of Circularly Polarized Synthetic Aperture Radar Sensor Mounted on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

This paper describes the development of a circularly polarized microstrip antenna, as a part of the Circularly Polarized Synthetic Aperture Radar (CP-SAR) sensor which is currently under developed at the Microwave Remote Sensing Laboratory (MRSL) in Chiba University. CP-SAR is a new type of sensor developed for the purpose of remote sensing. With this sensor, lower-noise data/image will be obtained due to the absence of depolarization problems from propagation encounter in linearly polarized synthetic aperture radar. As well the data/images obtained will be investigated as the Axial Ratio Image (ARI), which is a new data that is expected to reveal unique various backscattering characteristics. The sensor will be mounted on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which will be aimed for fundamental research and applications. The microstrip antenna works in the frequency of 1.27 GHz (L-Band). The microstrip antenna utilized the proximity-coupled method of feeding. Initially, the optimization process of the single patch antenna design involving modifying the microstrip line feed to yield a high gain (above 5 dBi) and low return loss (below -10 dB). A minimum of 10 MHz bandwidth is targeted at below 3 dB of Axial Ratio for the circularly polarized antenna. A planar array from the single patch is formed next. Consideration for the array design is the beam radiation pattern in the azimuth and elevation plane which is specified based on the electrical and mechanical constraints of the UAV CP-SAR system. This research will contribute in the field of radar for remote sensing technology. The potential application is for landcover, disaster monitoring, snow cover, and oceanography mapping. Especially for Indonesia which is the largest archipelago country in the world, the need for surface mapping and monitoring is demanding.