USA flag logo/image

An Official Website of the United States Government

ElectronicTextile Antennas

Award Information

Agency:
Department of Defense 		Branch:
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 		Award ID:
58383 		Program Year/Program:
2003 / SBIR
Agency Tracking Number:
02SB1-0218 		Solicitation Year:
N/A 		Solicitation Topic Code:
N/A 		Solicitation Number:
N/A
Small Business Information
APPLIED RADAR, INC.
315 Commerce Park Road North Kingstown, RI -
View profile »
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No
 
Phase 2
Fiscal Year: 2003
Title: ElectronicTextile Antennas
Agency / Branch: DOD / DARPA
Contract: DAAH0103CR200
Award Amount: $349,776.00
 

Abstract:

Long-duration wide-area surveillance missions increasingly are space-based. MEO orbits offer space-based radar systems more time on station, but require very large array apertures on the order of 100m in diameter. Achieving larger apertures with smaller,lighter launch packages and stable on-orbit pointing is a challenge that E-Textiles promises to meet. Textile processes can be used to achieve a low-cost, lightweight array capable of being stowed in a launch vehicle and deployed in orbit. During Phase I,we demonstrated the feasibility of E-Textile antennas by constructing and testing an assortment of multilayer antenna and feed modules. Copper wire and stainless steel yarns were hand-embroidered onto codura, vinyl coated canvas and fiberglass and stitchedtogether with foam and knit spacer fabrics to form textile-based microstrip patch antennas. Our Phase II work will build this E-textile technique using computer-controlled industrial embroidering machines to build up more sophisticated arrays withtolerances and repeatability afforded bya a computer-automated textile process. We will also investigate alternative E-textile methods such as nonwovens and custom metallic knits for building space-based antennas. The design will culminate in theconstruction of a 1m x 1m subarray that can be used to form a 4m x 100m array in a tile-architecture.

Principal Investigator:

William Weedon
President
4012950062
whw@appliedradar.com

Business Contact:

William Weedon
President
4012950062
whw@appliedradar.com
Small Business Information at Submission:

APPLIED RADAR, INC.
210 Airport Street North Kingstown, RI 02852

EIN/Tax ID: 043438479
DUNS: N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned: No
Minority-Owned: No
HUBZone-Owned: No