Optimal Excitation Matching Strategy for Sub-Arrayed Phased Linear Arrays Generating Arbitrary-Shaped Beams

TL;DR

This paper introduces an excitation matching method using k-means clustering for designing sub-arrayed phased linear arrays capable of generating arbitrary-shaped beams with optimized complexity and pattern fidelity.

Contribution

It proposes a novel synthesis framework that jointly optimizes sub-array configuration and excitation coefficients, improving beam shaping and array efficiency.

Findings

Effective generation of complex beam patterns including sidelobe notches and asymmetric lobes

Demonstrated trade-offs between array complexity and pattern accuracy

Comparison shows advantages over existing sub-array design methods

Abstract

The design of phased arrays able to generate arbitrary-shaped beams through a sub-arrayed architecture is addressed here. The synthesis problem is cast in the excitation matching framework, so as to yield clustered phased arrays providing optimal trade-offs between the complexity of the array architecture (i.e., the minimum number of control points at the sub-array level) and the matching of a reference pattern. A synthesis tool based on the k-means algorithm is proposed for jointly optimizing the sub-array configuration and the complex sub-array coefficients. Selected numerical results, including pencil beams with sidelobe notches and asymmetric lobes as well as shaped main lobes, are reported and discussed to highlight the peculiarities of the proposed approach also in comparison with some extensions to complex excitations of state-of-the-art sub-array design methods.