General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

6

Total Parts

7

AKA

Rectifying antenna

Patents

N/A

General Description

Balsa wood frame and brackets with a synthetic covering and a metal foil covering, copper (possible) wires and strips and a foam (possible) outer edge.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

105.0 cm

Width

15.5 cm

Height

47.2 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Communications

Category

Models

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

University

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

City

Downsview

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

September-October, 1987

Canada

Unknown

Function

Gathers electromagnetic energy and converts it into D.C. for power. This was part of an array used by the SHARP 5 UAV to rectify microwave energy in order to power an electric motor to keep it airborne. (See Refs. 1 & 3)

Technical

While it is true that the thin-film etched- or printed-circuit rectenna was not a Canadian invention, the fact is that Canadian researchers developed and patented improved and innovative designs of rectennas that were well adapted to the SHARP. The CRC’s unique rectenna design included two critically spaced layers of rectennas arranged at right angle to each other. This configuration maximised the amount of power collected by the SHARP, without having to turn the antenna array on the ground to keep it aligned with the model’s rectennas. The very design of the SHARP proved to be quite a challenge. The vehicle had to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible, which meant a long and slender wing. On the other hand, it also had to catch as much microwave radiation as possible, which meant a large collecting area. As was written above, the engineers developed and patented a highly innovative concept that combined a slender fuselage with a pylon-mounted wing and a large circular rectenna array to collect the microwaves. More rectennas of the type patented by the CRC were mounted underneath the wing and fuselage. This configuration offered the best achievable compromise between maximum aerodynamic efficiency and minimum variation in microwave beam power density. Some patents were issued as a result of the work done on the SHARP project (see References tab). Some Master’s Theses were also written by University of Toronto students as a result of this work. As of 2013, the SHARP project was the most advanced microwave-powered airplane project anywhere in the world. (From Acquisition Proposal, see Ref. 1)

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

On the proper bottom, written in black ink on the film covering the wiring network: "Plane/ 2" (what is visible is in fact the mirror image of this, as it appears to have been written on the other side)/ "71g/ 78g/ with/ wire"

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

The edge, proper bottom and mounting brackets are predominantly red and the proper top is a silver-coloured, reflective mirror-finish. On the proper bottom is a network of copper coloured strips and wires covered with a translucent, slightly yellow synthetic film

Decoration

N/A