Synthesis of near-field patterns of a nonuniformly spaced array

A technique of synthesis of near-field patterns of a nonuniformly spaced linear array of point dipoles with identical direction of current flow for each array element, or a uniformly spaced array of point dipoles with variation in direction of current flow for each dipole is presented. Further, it is described how one should prescribe the near-field (NF) pattern and how one should sample the same, while performing the NF pattern synthesis. Also discussed is how NF pattern synthesis should be performed so that the synthesized NF amplitude pattern closely follows a prescribed far-field amplitude pattern of the same array. Numerical computations are performed to demonstrate the validity of the physical concepts made use of in the technique proposed for performing the NF pattern synthesis successfully.     

Pattern synthesis based on adaptive array theory

Pattern synthesis based on either optimization of signal-to-noise ratio or noise minimization is developed. The connection between adaptive arrays and adapted pattern shape is used in synthesizing linear array patterns with freedom to adjust both amplitude and phase. Phase-only pattern synthesis is described in connection with suppressing interference or clutter in proportions of space. A planar array example applied to a constant-amplitude solid-state phased array is discussed     

Phase-only synthesis of minimum peak sidelobe patterns for linearand planar arrays

Minimization of the maximum sidelobe level for a given array geometry by phase-only adjustment of the element excitations is considered. Optimum phases are obtained by using a numerical search procedure to minimize the expression for the pattern sidelobe level with respect to the element phases. Results for both linear and planar arrays of equispaced elements are presented. The data suggests that optimum sidelobe level is a logarithmic function of array size, and optimum patterns have relative efficiencies that are typically somewhat greater than for comparable-amplitude tapered arrays. An analytic synthesis algorithm is presented for use on very large arrays for which the numerical search technique for the minimization of the sidelobe level is computationally impractical. This method produces patterns with characteristics similar to arrays synthesized using the numerical search method, i.e. relatively uniform angular distribution of energy in the sidelobe region, and generally decreasing maximum sidelobe level as the array size is increased     

Difference pattern synthesis in small planar phased arrays

A pattern synthesis technique for low sidelobe arbitrarily scanned difference beams in small planar phased arrays is presented. The approach is based on adaptive array theory and is the development of a technique used for radiation pattern synthesis in linear arrays. The method has been applied to measured element pattern data from a small planar array, which includes the effects of pattern corruption by mutual coupling. The successful synthesis of low sidelobe difference beams is demonstrated, with arbitrary difference plane and scan angle     

The bi-polar near-field antenna measuring system at Wroclaw University of Technology

This paper presents a near-field antenna measurement system that was developed in-house. The capabilities of our bi-polar system were extended by a backward-projection processing of data. The amplitude and phase distribution within the array elements can thus be reconstructed. Major applications of the presented near-field system are in research on advanced beamforming, and in investigations into large-scale integration of lightweight arrays. The results presented were obtained for planar microstrip arrays, and for a phased array operating between 5 GHz and 12 GHz.     

Application du recuit simulé à la synthèse d’antennes en réseau constituées d’éléments annulaires imprimés

This publication consists of an analysis and a synthesis by the amplitude law of linear and planar ring printed antennas array. The analysis of the structure is based on the modified cavity model which allows taking into account the fringing fields effects. The synthesis problem is solved by the simulated annealing method based on a random process research controlled by temperature parameter. The feeding network amplitude permitting to produce an optimal radiation pattern is then given. Various synthesis results for linear and planar arrays are presented.     

A flexible array synthesis method using quadratic programming

A highly flexible synthesis method for an arbitrary array is proposed to best approximate a desired array pattern in a minimum-mean-square-error sense. The basic idea of the technique is to form a quadratic program with its cost function given by the mean-square error between the array response and a properly selected pattern described by a known mathematical function. This quadratic program can be a constrained or unconstrained optimization problem depending on the requirements of the desired array pattern. In formulating the quadratic program, no assumption has been made on the gain/phase response or characteristics of the individual array elements. Therefore, one can synthesize an array of arbitrary shape to any appropriate pattern with the characteristic of the array elements taken into consideration as long as one is able to model the array accurately. The proposed method is used to synthesize arrays of different shapes, linear as well as planar arrays (including rectangular and circular planar arrays), using a Chebyshev polynomial or zero function as a design template, to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method     

Synthesis of Optimal Sum and Difference Patterns from Time Modulated Hexagonal Planar Arrays

An efficient array synthesis technique is developed for the design of optimal monopulse antennas in time modulated planar arrays with triangular lattices and hexagonal boundaries. Major emphasis is laid on the realization of low sidelobe array patterns from uniform amplitude excitations, and the inherent sideband radiations in time modulated arrays are suppressed to a sufficient low level. The synthesis technique implements the differential evolution strategy (DES) as the optimization tool, and a fast computation method based on 2D Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) is employed to speed up the optimization. Numerical results show that with the aid of the time modulation technique, the sum, difference, and double-difference patterns are obtainable from an array with fixed uniform amplitude excitations, thus demonstrating the effectiveness and validity of the proposed technique.     

A simplification of the synthesis of parallel wire antenna arrays

Using the moment method, a wire antenna array pattern is expressed in a form similar to that of a point source. The synthesis is thus reduced to that using well-known methods. The method is applied to linear as well as to planar arrays. Examples presented for several arrays how excellent agreement between the desired and the resulting patterns. The uncorrected patterns (without taking into account the mutual coupling) give similar results to the desired ones for arrays with many dipoles and equidistance greater than 0.50 λ. A method to improve the uncorrected pattern is proposed that is based on the addition of two parasitic elements     

Wave propagation and coupling in linear arrays with application to the analysis of large arrays

Waves inside linear arrays are analyzed for the case of single-port excitation. A frequency-domain method is proposed for the extraction of the amplitude decay and phase velocity of the waves, based on simulation results obtained for terminal excitation at one end and near the middle of the array. The waves reflected by the array ends are also extracted, under a single-reflection assumption. This model is then exploited for estimating the port currents when other elements of the array are excited, as well as for larger arrays. Simulation results are shown for port currents and element patterns in arrays of broad-plate dipoles.     

A self-similar fractal radiation pattern synthesis technique for reconfigurable multiband arrays

A novel method for designing reconfigurable multiband linear and planar antenna arrays is presented. The technique is based on a generalized Fourier series synthesis approach that exploits the self-similarity of a specified fractal radiation pattern in order to achieve the desired multiband performance. The fractal radiation patterns are composed of scaled and shifted copies of an appropriately chosen generating window function that exhibits low sidelobe levels and rapid spectral rolloffs in the transform domain. A newly developed thinning algorithm is presented which may be employed to reduce considerably both the overall physical size and the total number of elements in a synthesized multiband array. Finally, a band-switching scheme is introduced that is well-suited for implementation in the form of a reconfigurable common aperture array.     

曲面阵列结构散射与辐射特性的迭代分析

建立了一种适用于曲面有限阵列结构辐射与散射特性分析的迭代方法。首先根据阵列结构相同单元电流分布的相似性,对曲面有限阵列单元几何形状和表面电流分布作了两个假定,将有阵阵格林函数法推广应用于曲面有限阵列结构的分析;然后给出曲面有限阵列结构迭代分析的一般公式,通过迭代运算来消除两个假定近似的影响;最后迭代运算来消除两个假定近似的影响;最后以有两曲面带栅的散射和线源激励曲面带栅结构的辐射分析为例,验证了方法的有效性,并同逐元法作了比较,给出了有关的数值计算结果。结果表明：这种迭代法不受阵面曲率变化、单元数量和分布情况的限制,对有限周期和非周期阵列的分析都有着较高的计算效率和稳定性。     

An antenna beam steering technique comprised of constant-phase array elements

Beam steering is normally achieved by the use of phase shifters at each element of an array. The phase taper thereby produced causes a shift of the far-field pattern in sin θ space. An alternate approach to beam steering is presented in which a pair of interleaved arrays are employed. One array of the pair is fed entirely by currents of zero phase, while the other array is fed entirely by currents of quadrature phase. Beam steering is done by control of amplitude at each element. An example of this technique is presented and discussed.     

Low-Sidelobe Pattern Synthesis Using Iterative Fourier Techniques Coded in MATLAB [EM Programmer's Notebook]

The iterative Fourier technique for the synthesis of low-sidelobe patterns for linear arrays with uniform element spacing is described. The method uses the property that for a linear array with uniform element spacing, an inverse Fourier transform relationship exists between the array factor and the element excitations. This property is used in an iterative way to derive the array element excitations from the prescribed array factor. A brief outline of the iterative Fourier technique for the synthesis of low-sidelobe patterns for linear arrays will be given. The effectiveness of this method for realizing low-sidelobe sum and difference patterns will be demonstrated for linear arrays equipped with 50 and 80 elements. This demonstration of effectiveness also involves the recovery of the original low-sidelobe patterns, as close as possible, in case of element failures. Included is a program listing of this synthesis method, coded in MATLABtrade. With a few minor modifications/additions, the included MATLAB program can also be used for the design of thinned linear arrays having a periodic element spacing. Since the computational part of the included MATLAB program is coded using vector/matrix operations, this program can easily be extended for the synthesis of low-sidelobe patterns of planar arrays with a periodic element spacing, including pattern recovery in the case of defective elements.     

减小平面近场测量中多次反射误差的新方法

本文给出了用平面近场技术测量超低副瓣天线时,平面近场测量总误差与天线远场方向图副瓣电平的误差方程,并进行了计算机仿真;提出了减小平面近场测量中探头天线与待测天线间多次反射误差和微波暗室电特性误差对超低副瓣天线所引入的测量误差的"自校准法",实验结果说明该方法是解决平面近场测量中多次反射和微波暗室电特性误差较为理想的方法.     

Analysis of finite phased arrays of circular microstrip patches

A method is presented for analyzing a finite planar array of circular microstrip patches fed by coaxial probes. The self- and mutual impedances between array elements are calculated using the method of moments with the dyadic Green's function for a dielectric layer on a ground plane. The patch circuits are determined by using the reaction integral equation. The active input impedance as well as the active element pattern of the array are computed from a knowledge of the resultant patch currents. The calculated results for two-element and eight-element linear arrays are in good agreement with experimental data. The active reflection coefficient and element pattern for the center and edge elements of a two-dimensional array as a function of scan angle are also presented     

基于近场校正的相控阵天线低副瓣方向图综合

相控阵天线单元存在着幅度和相位误差,这些误差的综合作用会导致天线方向图副瓣电平达不到优化设计结果。提出了一种基于近场幅相校正的相控阵天线低副瓣综合方法,首先采用近场单通道测量方法,得到相控阵天线阵面的实测幅相值;然后采用非线性二乘法对天线单元幅度和相位进行优化综合;最后根据优化幅相值对实测幅相值进行修正,获得相控阵天线阵面幅相配置参数。方向图实测结果表明该方法可行、有效。     

一种实用的相控阵近场诊断新方法

提出了一种相控阵天线近场诊断的新方法.传统的方法要诊断出相控阵天线单元的激励,必须已知阵列单元的方向图和探头的方向图.文中基于相控阵天线的激励、单元方向图、探头方向图和近场测量数据之间的关系,得到了相控阵天线的激励和近场测量数据之间的耦合方程.利用多项式插值,在不必已知单元方向图和探头方向图的情况下,求解出相控阵天线的单元激励.     

Synthesis of antenna arrays using genetic algorithms

In this article, two particular methods for the synthesis of the complex radiation pattern of a linear and a planar array, based on genetic algorithms (GAs), are discussed. First, we present a combination of Schelkunoff's method and GAs for linear arrays with arbitrary radiation patterns; then, we consider the synthesis of planar arrays with rectangular cells. The results show the flexibility of GAs to solve complex problems related to antenna synthesis, subject to many restrictions which are difficult to treat by classical optimization techniques. There is good agreement between the desired and calculated radiation patterns     

Scanning of cosecant beams generated by a tilted planar array ofnonisotropic radiators

A method of scanning a one-dimensional shaped pattern generated by a tilted circular planar array of nonisotropic elements is presented. A method of synthesis of phase function for a desired cosecant pattern and specified amplitude distribution for excitation of the elements of the array is presented. The phase distribution required in the perpendicular direction for retaining the beam shape in the scanned plane is determined. Computed results on the phase distribution and radiation pattern are presented. The appropriate correction is applied to get a better agreement between the realized and desired patterns in this scanned position of the beam