Triangle TCAS Antenna

The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) provides a pilot the range and bearing of nearby aircraft. TCAS obtains the bearing information by using an angle-of-arrival antenna. In the development of TCAS at Lincoln Laboratory, the first airborne tests were conducted using an Adcock antenna, which is a small square array of four monopole elements. This report describes an alternative antennas for TCAS, using three elements in the shape of a triangle. It is shown that the triangle antenna is less sensitive to receiver noise, and that improvement factor is about 10 dB.

• Corporate Authors:

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  Lincoln Laboratory, 59 Pleasant Street
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02139

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Harman, W H
  • Wood, L L
• Publication Date: 2011-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Pagination: 40p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Aircraft; Antennas; Crash avoidance systems; Design; Radio transmitters; Technological innovations
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Operations and Traffic Management; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01358976
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: ATC-380
• Contract Numbers: FA8721-05-C-0002
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 16 2011 2:47PM