Autores UPV
Alejandro Fernández-Garrido,
Campo Valera María Mercedes,
Elena Abdo-Sánchez,
Picó Vila Rubén,
Antonio-Javier García-Sánchez,
Rafael Asorey-Cacheda
Abstract
Acoustic signals, which have been utilized for decades in the spatial localization of objects,
have found applications in fields as diverse as sonar for underwater navigation, communication, and object
detection. Traditional methods often rely on arrays of transducers, which necessitate the use of expensive
hardware and processing algorithms. An emerging alternative is the Acoustic LeakyWave Antenna (ALWA),
which is inspired by electromagnetic leaky wave antennas. ALWA technology employs a single transducer
to emit directional beams that scan angular space by frequency manipulation. Conventional arrays offer
cost-effectiveness and simplicity of design, but ALWAs have the advantage of operating on the principle of
energy leakage, which is achieved by various mechanisms, such as uniform apertures or slits periodic along
the waveguide. This technology, applicable to underwater and airborne communications, offers compact
and energy-efficient solutions, which facilitate the development of the ``Underwater Internet of Things¿¿ and
autonomous communication systems for underwater vehicles. This work presents a parametric study of this
type of antennas with axisymmetric geometry by means of a numerical solution based on the Finite Element
Method. Together with analytical studies, the physical phenomenology underlying this technology will be
described, including directivity, transmission and reflection parameters, beam scanning and dispersion curve.
Finally, the design is validated through experiments.
