Uniform circular and rectangular arrays for adaptive beamforming applications

Numerous studies for smart antennas have already been conducted. However, these studies include mostly uniform linear arrays (ULAs) and uniform rectangular arrays (URAs) and not as much effort has been devoted to other configurations. In this letter, the performance of smart antennas with uniform circular arrays (UCAs) is examined. The primary motivation for this selection is the symmetry UCAs possess. This property provides UCAs a major advantage, the ability to scan a beam azimuthally through 360° with little change in either the beamwidth or the sidelobe level. Also, a comparison between UCAs and URAs in the context of adaptive beamforming is made in this letter.