Implementation of polarization agility in planar phased‐array antennas by means of interleaved subarrays

Abstract

[1] A method for ensuring polarization agility in conjunction with beam steering in planar array antennas is proposed. It relies on interleaving two subarrays with orthogonal, linear polarizations that, together, can generate arbitrary polarization states: adjustable linear, elliptical, and left-or right-handed circular. The complexity of the resulting system is comparable with that of standard, fully populated array antennas consisting of identical, linearly polarized elements. By dynamically controlling the amplitude and the phase of the signals fed to the subarrays, a stable polarization state can be maintained during beam steering. The concept is validated by numerically investigating an architecture obtained by interleaving nonuniform subarrays designed by means of a deterministic placement strategy. The effects of the mutual coupling between the different radiating elements are modeled and discussed.Citation: Simeoni, M., I. E. Lager, C. I. Coman, and A. G. Roederer (2009), Implementation of polarization agility in planar phased-array antennas by means of interleaved subarrays, Radio Sci., 44, RS5013,

Polarization-Agile Ads-Interleaved Planar Arrays

“…However, also these approaches exhibit some limitations in terms of feeding network complexity, flexibility, or radiation properties [6].…”

“…Towards this end, several architectures based on actively controlled antennas [5,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] have been proposed. Unfortunately, such an approach has the drawback of significantly increasing the overall system complexity [6]. In order to mitigate this problem, architectures exhibiting a reduced beam steering [17,18] or considering sequential rotation of the feeding [19] have been investigated [6].…”

“…In this framework, shared aperture architectures with orthogonal polarizations have been recently proposed for the design of polarization-agile arrays [6]. More specifically, two fully interleaved layouts [20] have been considered for the synthesis of narrow beams with arbitrary polarization states [6].…”

“…Polarization-reconfigurable arrays play a fundamental role in modern wireless [1,2] and radar systems [3][4][5][6] since they allow an enhancement of their discrimination capabilities and a more significant clutter suppression. Moreover, polarization agility has been indicated as a tool for reducing glint errors in tracking radars [7], as well as to mitigate multi-path fading in wireless communication systems [6].…”

“…Moreover, polarization agility has been indicated as a tool for reducing glint errors in tracking radars [7], as well as to mitigate multi-path fading in wireless communication systems [6]. More recent applications of polarization agile arrays include, for example, broadband communication systems for in-flight entertainment [6].…”