Note: This unit version is currently being edited and is subject to change!
ELEC5101: Antennas and Propagation (2020 - Semester 2)
| Unit: | ELEC5101: Antennas and Propagation (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Postgraduate |
| Faculty/School: | School of Electrical & Computer Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
Dr Shirvanimoghaddam, Mahyar
|
| Session options: | Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: | |
| Site(s) for this Unit: |
http://www.eelab.usyd.edu.au/ELEC5101/index.html |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | None. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | The fundamentals of antenna design and analysis in complex RF systems are given in this course. The principles of impedance matching, radiation pattern prediction of a single antenna and antenna arrays are practiced using the industry-standard simulation software. Importantly, the students get the opportunity of hands-on experience in antenna prototyping and measurements. Real-world applications and world-wide communication standards are provided throughout the course with the emphasis on the antenna specifications. Numerical techniques, such as FEM, MoM and FIT, are discussed, and understanding of them is gained during the tutorials. Overall, the course provides vital information required for antenna/RF/microwave engineers but is also beneficial for the wireless communication system engineers. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Lecturer/s: |
Dr Abbas, Syed Muzahir
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Timetable: | ELEC5101 Timetable | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| T&L Activities: | Lecture: Each Lecture employs an Audio Visual display making full use of computer resources and Maple`s 3 Dimensional abilities. Independent Study: An absolute minimum of 4 hours per week will be expected making full use of the website resources and reading material outside the Lecture content to make the necessary inroads in to a very important and complex subject area. |
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Unassigned Outcomes
1. Ability to analyse and design solutions for antennas operating up to and including the microwave frequency level, by drawing on concepts and principles of antenna theory and practice.
2. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of antenna theory and practise.
3. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of antenna performance, as well as signal propagation and the associated link budget to the extent of the material presented.
4. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the process of designing a broad variety of antenna systems using principles, concepts and tools taught throughout the course.
5. Ability to develop the fundamental 'Pocklington Equation' for wire antennas which leads to the powerful computer based 'Moment Method'of analysis.
6. Ability to write and maintain a laboratory log book to communicate problem-solving activities by using clear and concise language, sketches and diagrams at a technical level fitting for the tasks performed.
7. Ability to conduct team work by assuming various roles as needed, demonstrating initiative and receptiveness to the viewpoints of others in the group so as to tackle and test design challenges.
| Assessment Methods: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assessment Description: |
Final Exam: This is an `open book` examination where students are expected to demonstrate their full understanding of the course content and to be able to demonstrate their ability to tackle unusual antenna problems. Lab Report: The practical program provides real hands on experience of the important aspects of antenna operation. Students are able to get a feel for the fields in space which cannot be seen, a very real understanding of antenna patterns is acquired and the hugely important imaging and mutual impedance effects are well illustrated. Students also experience the performance of satellite reception antennas. Presentation: Students learn about the research advances in the field of antenna engineering and familiarise themselves with the standard way of presenting results to the scientific audience. The IEEE papers will be distributed among the teams in advance. Presentations will be judged according to the marking criteria. Assignments: Consist of a number of problems similar to the ones discussed during the lectures. Provides the opportunity for a quick assessment and timely feedback. Submitted in a hand-written form. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grading: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Policies & Procedures: | See the policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/student-policies/ for information regarding university policies and local provisions and procedures within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. |
| Prescribed Text/s: |
Note: Students are expected to have a personal copy of all books listed.
|
| Recommended Reference/s: |
Note: References are provided for guidance purposes only. Students are advised to consult these books in the university library. Purchase is not required.
|
| Online Course Content: | http://www.eelab.usyd.edu.au/ELEC5101/index.html |
| Note on Resources: | Powerpoint 'Movies' develop radiation into free space with time. Throughout the development 3 - dimensional radiation are developed using the 'Maple' computer program which is available for student use in the Laboratory. |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | The course is introduced with a pictorial review of everyday antennas which we will encounter in the course. Basic ideas of radiation fields and the important links with RF transmission lines are developed. |
| Week 2 | Two hypothetical antennas are introduced - the 'Omnidirectional' and the 'Hertzian' dipole are shown to be theoretically precise and can be used to to analyse the performance of the half wave dipole antenna - which is very real and widely used. |
| Week 3 | We develop the 'radiation patterns' of antennas in 3 - dimensional space - these patterns are always of the "Electric" field. Boundary conditions at a perfect conducting surface are reviewed and and lead to the importance of imaging and its effects on radiation patterns. We consider a very simple image antenna which is used world wide to guide the final approach and landing of aircraft. |
| Week 4 | We meet the important 'quarter wave' monopole antenna and learn how 'folding' affects the input (drive) impedance. The corner reflector antenna is introduced at this time because we make extensive us of it in the Laboratory. |
| Week 5 | We review the main steps in our development thus far. We then look at using arrays of antennas to improve the performance. We find that Fourier Transforms also apply to antennas. We meet the 'Schelkunoff' theory of 'Linear Arrays' which is a design tool to meet a required antenna array specification. We discuss the Australian 'Jindalee - Over the Horizon' radar. We meet the important and very widely used 'Yagi - Uda' antenna. |
| Assessment Due: Assignment 1 | |
| Week 6 | We have our first look at the fields close to an antenna - its 'near' field. |
| Aperture antennas are then introduced. | |
| Week 7 | Reciprocity is discussed. This leads to consideration of the antenna as a receiver with discussion of the effective "catching/receiving area" of a receiving antenna. We can then consider the performance of the 'Link' budget which applies to a simple transmitting - receiving antenna system. We introduce a different class of 'Travelling Wave' antennas which are able to operate over a broad band of frequencies. |
| Week 8 | We review Maxwell's Equations - explaining precisely what they mean in the antenna context. |
| We design a variety of travelling wave antennas - which are typically used at HF for ionospheric propagation. We consider the problems of Very Low Frequency antennas. | |
| Assessment Due: Assignment 2 | |
| Week 9 | To solve Maxwell with antennas we make use of "potentials". This allows us to quite formally analyse the Hertzian dipole which we have used extensively earlier in the course. We then introduce the computer analysis of antennas using the 'Moment' method. |
| Week 10 | We develop the important 'Pocklington' equation for a wire antenna. We proceed to simplify that using an approach due to Richmond which seriously simplifies the computer implementation. |
| Week 11 | We develop the numerical analysis of a simple (short) dipole using the 'Moment' method. The use of 'Patch' antennas with microstrip lines is described as well as antennas developed from waveguide components. |
| Week 12 | Near field and mutual coupling analysis of half wave dipole antennas. |
| Week 13 | Course review/Revision. Specific query response. |
| Assessment Due: Final Project Presentation | |
| STUVAC (Week 14) | Students with difficulties are encouraged to send email queries to which comprehensive 'Feedback Responses' are provided on the course web page. |
| Exam Period | Students are encouraged to take their comprehensive laboratory notebook with them in to the (Open Book) examination session and it is then required to be submitted with their examination paper. |
| Assessment Due: Final Exam |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| (6) Communication and Inquiry/ Research (Level 2) | No | 0% |
| (7) Project and Team Skills (Level 2) | No | 0% |
| (5) Interdisciplinary, Inclusiveness, Influence (Level 4) | No | 0% |
| (4) Design (Level 4) | No | 0% |
| (2) Engineering/ IT Specialisation (Level 4) | No | 0% |
| (3) Problem Solving and Inventiveness (Level 4) | No | 0% |
| (1) Maths/ Science Methods and Tools (Level 4) | No | 0% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table 2018 for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
