Semi-Coprime Array with Staggered Beam-Steering of Sub-Arrays

Area of Science:

• Array Signal Processing
• Antenna Theory
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Split-aperture arrays (SAAs) offer reduced element counts but face trade-offs in beamwidth and sidelobe levels.
• Conventional arrays struggle with increased half-power beamwidth (HPBW) and degraded peak-to-side-lobe ratio (PSLR) during off-broadside steering.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel staggered beam-steering technique for SAAs.
• To enhance HPBW and PSLR performance, particularly for arrays steered away from the broadside direction.

Main Methods:

• Proposed staggered beam-steering of sub-arrays (SAs) in a semi-coprime array.
• Utilized Chebyshev weights in conjunction with staggered beam-steering to suppress side lobes.
• Analyzed the unified beam-pattern of the entire array.

Main Results:

• Staggered beam-steering effectively mitigates the beam-widening effect of Chebyshev weights.
• Achieved superior HPBW and PSLR compared to existing SAAs and uniform/non-uniform linear arrays.
• Demonstrated significant performance gains when steering the main beam away from the broadside.

Conclusions:

• The proposed staggered beam-steering technique offers a significant advancement in SAA performance.
• This method provides improved beam characteristics, especially in challenging off-broadside steering scenarios.
• The technique enhances the applicability of SAAs in various signal processing and antenna applications.