platform

Create platform object for installed antenna setup

Description

The platform object creates a platform to install an antenna. You can import platform geometry from the STL, STEP, and IGES file formats.

Installed antenna analysis involves an electrically large structure called a platform. Antenna elements are placed on this platform at desired locations. You can analyze the effects of the platform on the antenna performance. Installed antenna analysis is commonly used in aerospace, defense, marine, and automotive applications. Common platforms are airplanes, satellites, drones, ships, trains, trucks, and cars.

Another common application of installed antenna analysis is to determine and mitigate the interference between multiple antennas operating at different frequencies on a large platform.

Creation

Syntax

plat = platform

plat = platform(Name=Value)

Description

plat = platform creates a platform object for an installed antenna setup. The default platform is a rectangular reflector in the xy-plane stored in the plate STL file.

plat = platform(Name=Value) sets properties using one or more name-value arguments. Name is the property name and Value is the corresponding value. You can specify several name-value arguments in any order as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN. Properties that you do not specify, retain their default values.

For example, ant = platform(FileName="reflector.stl",Units="m") creates a platform object defined by the data in the file reflector STL file and sets the unit of measurement to meters.

Output Arguments

plat — Platform for installed antenna setup

platform object

Platform for installed antenna setup, returned as a platform object.

Properties

FileName — Name of the platform geometry information file

"[]" (default) | string scalar

Name of the platform geometry information file to import, specified as a string scalar. The supported file formats are STL, STEP, and IGES.

Example: "reflector.stl"

Data Types: string

Units — Units for geometry

"mm" (default) | "m" | "cm" | "um" | "ft" | "in"

Units for the geometry imported from the STL, STEP, or IGES file, specified as "m", "mm", "cm", "um", "ft", or "in".

Note

This property is read-only for STEP and IGES files.

Example: "m"

Data Types: string

UseFileAsMesh — Option to use input geometry file as mesh

false or 0 (default) | true or 1

Option to use the input geometry file directly as a mesh for analysis, specified as a numeric or logical 1 (true) or 0 (false). To use the input file as a mesh, set this property to 1 (true).

Example: 1

Data Types: logical

Tilt — Tilt angle of antenna

0 (default) | scalar | vector

Tilt angle of the antenna in degrees, specified as a scalar or vector. For more information, see Rotate Antennas and Arrays.

Example: 90

Example: Tilt=[90 90],TiltAxis=[0 1 0;0 1 1] tilts the antenna at 90 degrees about the two axes defined by the vectors.

Data Types: double

TiltAxis — Tilt axis of antenna

[1 0 0] (default) | three-element vector | 2-by-3 matrix | "X" | "Y" | "Z"

Tilt axis of the antenna, specified as one of these values:

• Three-element vector of Cartesian coordinates in meters. In this case, each coordinate in the vector starts at the origin and lies along the specified points on the x-, y-, and z-axes.

• Two points in space, specified as a 2-by-3 matrix corresponding to two three-element vectors of Cartesian coordinates. In this case, the antenna rotates around the line joining the two points.

• "x", "y", or "z" to describe a rotation about the x-, y-, or z-axis, respectively.

For more information, see Rotate Antennas and Arrays.

Example: [0 1 0]

Example: [0 0 0;0 1 0]

Example: "Z"

Data Types: double | string

Object Functions

info	Display information about antenna, array, or platform
mesh	Mesh properties of metal, dielectric antenna, or array structure
meshconfig	Change meshing mode of antenna, array, custom antenna, custom array, or custom geometry
rcs	Calculate and plot monostatic and bistatic radar cross section (RCS) of platform, antenna, or array
show	Display antenna, array structures, shapes, or platform
stlwrite	Write mesh information to STL file

Examples

Platform from Rectangular Shape

Create a rectangular shape. Divide the shape into two triangles. Extract the shape vertices to determine the vertices of the triangles. Define the points connectivity list and use the triangulation function on this list and vertices.

w = shape.Rectangle;
v = getShapeVertices(w)

v = 4×3

   -0.5000   -1.0000         0
    0.5000   -1.0000         0
    0.5000    1.0000         0
   -0.5000    1.0000         0

c = [1 2 4; 2 3 4]

c = 2×3

     1     2     4
     2     3     4

tr = triangulation(c,v(:,1),v(:,2))

tr = 
  triangulation with properties:

              Points: [4x2 double]
    ConnectivityList: [2x3 double]

Create an STL file from the triangulation object.

stlwrite(tr,"customPlatForm.stl")

The software creates the customPlatform STL file. in your current folder. Use this file to create a platform object and visualize the platform.

plat = platform(FileName="customPlatForm.stl", Units="m")

plat = 
  platform with properties:

         FileName: "customPlatForm.stl"
            Units: "m"
    UseFileAsMesh: 0
             Tilt: 0
         TiltAxis: [1 0 0]

figure
show(plat)

Create Platform from Geometry Files

This example shows how to create a platform from geometry files.

Create the first platform using an STL file and display the result.

p1 = platform(FileName="plateMesh.stl");
figure
show(p1)

Create the second platform using a STEP file and display the result.

p2 = platform(FileName="cylinder.step");
figure
show(p2)

Create the third platform using an IGES file and display the result.

p3 = platform(FileName="cube.iges");
figure
show(p3)

Version History

Introduced in R2019a

R2023b: Generate antenna geometry for STEP and IGES files

You can now generate 3-D antenna geometry and a mesh using STEP and IGES files.