Combinatorial feeding to controlling and combining power on a coupled antenna array

Abstract

The paper proposes a combinatorial feeding scheme for coupled arrays making it possible to combine and control the output power in air. In this scheme, amplifiers feeding the array elements can be switched on and off and the excitation phase of each element can be selected according to the intended beam direction and output power level. We derive a model for the combined system of amplifiers and coupled antenna elements and verify the model by simulations. For reference purposes, we design an uncoupled array and show that the proposed concept enables more efficient power combining and control than the reference array.