Array Antenna Design for Passive Coherent Location Systems with Non-Uniform Array Configurations

Abstract

This study investigates non-uniform array configurations to maximize the beamforming performance of passive coherent location (PCL) systems. The proposed array consists of eight dipole elements that are divided into two groups with different distances from the array center. This double-layered non-uniform configuration is designed considering the array antenna characteristics (peak-to-side lobe ratio, first null bandwidth, null width, and null depth). The resulting antenna array can provide more appropriate patterns for PCL systems than a conventional uniform circular array. The target detection performance of the proposed array in PCL systems is tested in a certain scenario. The results demonstrate that the proposed antenna in PCL systems can detect the target with Doppler and range errors of 1 Hz and 1.2 km, respectively, in a given situation.