General radiation-pattern synthesis technique for array antennas of arbitrary configuration and element type

An interactive iterative-synthesis technique is presented, which is of particular use for far-field patterns defined in terms of power only. The method is applied in general to three-dimensional array configurations composed of different element types, with the required far-field defined over large angular regions. Suggestions for extending the method to near-field, simultaneous multiparameter or constrained synthesis are also given. The description of the method is presented for three different conditions, depending on whether both the array amplitude and the phase or just the amplitude or the phase are variable. Examples of the method, applied to various practical synthesis problems, and comparisons to other techniques are also given.