M. Ueba et al., ON-BOARD LARGE MESH ANTENNA REFLECTOR WITH HIGH SURFACE ACCURACY, Electronics & communications in Japan. Part 1, Communications, 77(8), 1994, pp. 80-89
An increase in the size of on-board antenna reflectors is a key techno
logy in providing economical services by miniaturized portable equipme
nt in future mobile satellite communication systems. In practice, a me
sh antenna can be used as the on-board antenna. However, since the ref
lector surface of this antenna is supported by the cable and the mesh,
and its size is larger, the surface is subject to larger thermal defo
rmation in orbit than is the solid antenna reflector. Conventional com
pensation methods such as passive thermal control or rotation of the a
ntenna reflector cannot maintain the required antenna performances. Va
rious methods have been reported to compensate for the deterioration o
f antenna performance by thermal deformation. This paper describes a s
tatic shape control system for a 10-m diameter antenna which actively
compensates for the deformation by using a shape-measuring sensor and
shape-compensation actuator. The configuration of the sensor and the e
xperimental results by a functional model are described to confirm the
design validity. The shape-compensation method by the actuator was co
nfirmed to be useful in achieving a required surface accuracy.