A novel application for sum-difference pattern detection of signal direction using time-modulated linear arrays

A novel application using the time-modulated linear arrays (TMLAs) in determining the direction of unknown signal with sum pattern and difference pattern for tracking radar is presented in this paper. An optimized time sequence from the differential evolution (DE) algorithm is presented to produce multiple beams simultaneously. Based on the multiple beams of the sum patterns and their corresponding difference patterns at different sidebands, the directions of incoming signals can be detect. The comparison of the performance between TMLA and conventional antenna arrays under the same parameter demonstrate that the accuracy of the direction of target in TMLA is relatively high, and the range of angle detection is several times larger than those of the conventional antennas arrays.