A Hybrid Mimo Phased-Array Concept for Arbitrary Spatial Beampattern Synthesis

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar is a multiple aperture technology characterized by the ability to transmit diverse signals at each aperture. This is in contrast to traditional phased-array radar whereby a single signal is transmitted with a phase shift applied at each element to enable steering of the transmit beam. The hybrid MIMO phased-array radar (HMPAR) concept is an outgrowth of the monostatic MIMO construct, in which all sensors have the same view of the far-field target. In the HMPAR, the full transmit array is partitioned into sub-arrays which can be electronically steered in different directions and driven by separate transmit waveforms; furthermore the configuration of the array into sub-arrays can be changed. Here we explore the variety of transmit beam patterns that could be achieved using such a system.