A thinning method of conformal non-concentric circular array using genetic algorithm

With the development of science and technology, the use of conformal antennas for vehicle applications has been increasing rapidly. And the circular array is widely populated for its all-azimuth scan capability. However, when the landform is restricted, the traditional circular antenna array might not be placed normally. Thus, a special conformal non-concentric circular array which is to put a small circular array into a big circular array is proposed in this paper. The difference of the peak sidelobe level (PSLL) and the main lobe width are considered in order to derive the optimal element number. And a thinning and optimizing approach based on the genetic algorithm for the special antenna is proposed. The simulation results show that the number of antenna array elements can be brought down with simultaneous reduction in the peak sidelobe level with respect to the full array. It will not only increase the efficiency of space utilization, but also improve the system performance.