New class of broadband arrays with frequency invariant beam patterns

In this paper, a new class of broadband arrays with frequency-invariant beam patterns is proposed. By suitable substitutions, the beam pattern of a continuous sensor array with continuous temporal processing can be regarded as the Fourier transform of its spatio-temporal distribution. Based on this principle, starting from the desired frequency-invariant beam pattern, and by a series of substitutions, a simple design method is derived. This method can be applied to one-dimensional (1D), 2D, or 3D broadband arrays, either with continuous arrays and signal processing or with discrete arrays and signal processing. A 2D discrete design example is presented.