Optimized VAA Based Synthesis of Elliptical Cylindrical Antenna Array for SLL Reduction and Beam Thinning Using Minimum Number of Elements

Heba Soliman Dawood,Mustafa Mahmoud Abd Elnaby,Heba Ali El-Khobby,Amr Hussein Hussein

doi:10.1109/access.2021.3069795

Heba Soliman Dawood, Mustafa Mahmoud Abd Elnaby + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2021.3069795

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Journal: IEEE Access	Publication Date: Jan 1, 2021
Citations: 25	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Tanta University

Abstract

In this paper, new virtual antenna array (VAA) based synthesis techniques are introduced for side lobe level (SLL) reduction, beam thinning, and number of elements minimization for elliptical cylindrical antenna arrays (ECAA) of radar systems. Thereby, significant improvements in the array gain and directivity are achieved, which enhance the detection range and angular resolution of the radar. Furthermore, the overall implementation cost of the system is highly reduced by saving the number of elements and the corresponding RF chains and simplifying the feeding network. Firstly, the proposed technique decomposes the single transmit/receive ECAA into a separate transmit linear antenna array (LAA) and receive elliptical antenna array (EAA). Secondly, the number of antenna elements, element spacing, and excitations of the created LAA and EAA are optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO) to produce efficient beamformed patterns. Finally, the Kronker product of the optimized LAA and EAA patterns is performed to form the optimized virtual ECAA (V-ECAA) pattern. We also introduced both the uniform feeding based V-ECAA technique and the non-uniform feeding based V-ECAA synthesis technique for more flexibility and better productivity in antenna arrays design. The simulation results revealed that the uniform feeding based V-ECAA provides an identical pattern to that of the traditional uniform feeding ECAA while saves the number of elements by 66.6%. While in the case of non-uniform feeding based V-ECAA, it provides much lower SLL and narrower HPBW than those of the ECAA while saving the number of elements by 63.8%. Furthermore, the HB is applied to provide additional beam thinning and SLL reduction of the proposed non-uniform V-ECAA that is denoted as (HBV-ECAA). The possibility of practical validations of the synthesized V-ECAAs is verified using the computer simulation technology (CST) microwave studio package, which gives users an integrated design environment and achieves realizable and robust designs.

Highlights

Radar systems play an important role in every modern system
While in the case of non-uniform feeding V-elliptical cylindrical antenna arrays (ECAA), the particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the excitation coefficients and element spacing of the constructed transmit linear antenna array (LAA) and receive elliptical antenna array (EAA) to synthesize high-performance virtual ECAA (V-ECAA) in terms of side lobe level (SLL) and half power beamwidth (HPBW) compared to the non-uniform feeding ECAA using minimum number of antenna elements
SIMULATION RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS several simulations are carried out to verify the superiority of the proposed V-ECAA compared to the traditional uniform feeding ECAA (U-ECAA) and the non-uniform feeding ECAA (NU-ECAA)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Radar systems play an important role in every modern system. The main role of radar is to detect, measure the range, speed, and the direction of the surrounding objects. While in the case of non-uniform feeding V-ECAA, the PSO is used to optimize the excitation coefficients and element spacing of the constructed transmit LAA and receive EAA to synthesize high-performance V-ECAAs in terms of SLL and HPBW compared to the non-uniform feeding ECAA using minimum number of antenna elements. I the VAA principle is outdated for use in radar systems, the application of the PSO to the separate transmitter and receiver arrays which are the key components of the VAA prior to the Kronker product of their patterns is considered innovative This is because the use of PSO guarantees optimal allocation and alignment of transmitter and receiver arrays, minimizes the required number of antenna elements, and optimizes both element spacing and excitation prior to the implementation of the VAA principle, which significantly enhances overall array system performance.

PROBLEM FORMULATION

ProposedUV-ECAA

PROPOSED NUV-ECAA

SIMULATION RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS