Pattern synthesis for unequally-spaced array antennas with non-identical elements

A novel method of array antenna pattern synthesis based on an optimization technique is presented. The complex excitation values of the current distribution of the array elements are taken as parameters. The radiated far field pattern is matched to one that is prescribed by minimizing a global mean square error. The method is suitable for general arrays like linear, planar, and conformal ones, and does not require the factorization into an element factor and an array factor. In contrast with Fourier like methods, the array elements may be arbitrarily placed. Although the theory is developed for arrays of identical elements, it applies to the case of arrays containing nonidentical elements as well. Numerical results for unequally spaced planar arrays of short electric dipoles are presented.