Multiple Patterns from Time-Modulated Linear Antenna Arrays

In this article, the design of multiple radiation patterns from time-modulated linear antenna arrays is presented. As compared to conventional linear arrays in generating multiple patterns by switching among different phase distributions, the time-modulated linear arrays are capable of realizing more stringent requirements such as lower sidelobes for the multiple patterns. Moreover, the time-modulated linear arrays with pre-assigned amplitude distributions can be used to synthesize a greater number of desired patterns due to their additional degree of design freedom. Different excitations for multiple patterns are obtained through the differential evolution algorithm while keeping the sidebands minimized. Numerical examples of synthesizing several typical radiation patterns from time-modulated linear arrays are presented.