Design and Optimization of ESPAR Antennas via Impedance Measurements and a Genetic Algorithm [Antenna Designer´s Notebook]

A method for the design of electronically steerable passive array radiator (ESPAR) antennas is proposed herein, based on impedance-matrix measurements and a genetic algorithm. The proposed technique is best suited for cases where commercial elements are used as building blocks for ESPAR development, since in such cases the conventional numerically based techniques used in the literature may not be applicable. An emulated ESPAR design and respective results are presented. They demonstrate the applicability and performance of the proposed technique, as well as its consistency with results derived from a commercially available electromagnetic simulator.