Teanette van der Spuy, Kommunikation, Antenner och Optiska Nätverk

With the continued rapid evolution of 5G and 6G wireless technologies, the demand for reliable on-the-move connectivity is growing --- particularly for autonomous transport (e.g., shipping, agriculture) and high-density passenger systems (e.g., rail, bus). Satellite communications (SatCom) offers a robust alternative solution where terrestrial technologies fall short. However, vehicle-mounted SatCom-on-the-move user terminals face a critical trade-off: achieving high gain and beamsteering performance with large, integrated arrays, while maintaining compact antenna apertures and low power consumption for automotive integration.

This work proposes a compact, shared-aperture full-duplex user terminal design that combines advanced signal processing with innovative antenna and microwave techniques. Our design addresses two key challenges: minimizing self-interference and reducing power consumption. Additionally, we focus on the antenna technology and the integration of beamforming integrated circuits, including designs for a fully metallic phased array, solderless interconnects, and a novel balun diplexer, with careful consideration of thermal dissipation requirements. This approach aims to enable high-performance SatCom systems that meet the stringent demands of modern automotive platforms.