Angular resolution with nonsinusoidal waves

Off-axis radiation of nonsinusoidal waves with the time variation of a rectangular pulse, from a line array, yields different time variation for the pulses in the wave zone. In this paper, the time variation of the pulses in the wave zone is determined as a function of the radiation angle, the signal bandwidth, and the array length. A new angular resolution method for nonsinusoidal waves is developed. The method utilizes the varying shape of the radiated nonsinusoidal wave, as a function of the radiation angle, to determine the angular position at which a reflecting target is located in the wave zone, relative to the array axis. A monopulse tracking technique for direction finding with nonsinusoidal waves is also developed. The technique is based on the use of a line array of radiators (or sensors) that are nonuniformly distributed about the array axis. This enables one to determine the angular position as well as the coordinates of a reflecting target on pulse-to-pulse bases.