The Missing Link between Numerical Simulation and Antenna Measurements with Application to Flush Mounted Antennas

This paper discuss the source antenna measurement, post processing and successive link to commercial CEM solvers for simulation of the antenna within the complex environment. Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) solvers are important engineering tools for supporting the evaluation and optimization of antenna placement on larger complex platforms. Due to the conclusiveness and high reliability of actual measured data, antenna measurements are required for the final validation of most systems containing an antenna. Numerical modeling is increasingly used in the initial stages of antenna placement investigation, optimization and to ensure that the final testing, often a complex procedure, is successful. In some cases, the fullwave representation of the antenna is unavailable in the format required by the CEM solver. This is often the case if the antenna is procured from third party. To overcome such problem, an equivalent computational model of the antenna must be constructed. Recently, accurate representative electromagnetic models of measured antennas based on INSIGHT™ processing have been demonstrated [1-4]. The processing is based on the expansion of the measured field using equivalent currents. From INSIGHT™ the electromagnetic model can be exported to a number of commercial CEM solvers.