Sub-array level structural compensation method for radiating and scattering performance of array antennas

Abstract

The detection and stealth abilities of array antennas depend mainly on the antennas' radiating and scattering performance, respectively. However, the operating environmental loads and assembly lead to serious structural errors, including deformation and random errors, which affect both the radiating and scattering performance. As the demand to guarantee high performance in detection as well as in stealth, a new sub-array level structural compensation method is presented to simultaneously guarantee the radiating and scattering performance of array antennas in service. First, a statistical model of scattering performance with structural deformation and random position error is established to quickly evaluate the impact of a random structural error on scattering performance. Then, the effects of structural errors in different directions on radiating and scattering performance are analysed to determine the structural adjustment direction. Moreover, the multi-objective problem considering the comprehensive compensation of radiating and scattering performance is converted into a single-object problem by constructing a fitness function to realise the sub-array level structural compensation. Finally, a typical case is used to verify the effectiveness of the compensation method. The results show that the presented method can guarantee both the radiating and scattering performance effectively, providing advantageous guidance for structural design and performance compensation for array antennas.