Phase-only synthesis of nulls in the sum and difference radiation patterns of the phased array antenna of a coordinate meter

Abstract

Two approaches to the phase-only synthesis of nulls in radiation patterns (RPs) of the phased array antenna (PAA) of a coordinate meter are considered. The approaches use the specificity of the structure of the sheet of the measuring PAA. Such a PAA forms the sum RP and two difference RPs, which ensure measuring of the angular coordinates of an object. The problem of the phase-only synthesis of pattern nulls in prescribed directions in one or several PAA RPs with the angular orientation of the nulls of difference RPs kept in the RP scanning direction is solved. Design relationships are derived and a RP synthesis method, which is based on iterative univariate minimization of a nonlinear functional and includes analytic determination of the minimum of this functional at each iteration, is described. Examples of the array pattern synthesis are presented. The effect the phasing increment on the depth of formed nulls is analyzed and the dependence of the value of the PAA RP in the scanning direction on the position of the formed null is investigated. The effect of synthesized nulls on the shape of the PAA direction-finding characteristic is analyzed.