Generalized FFT Beamsteering
Abstract
A receive antenna's beam, the direction of maximum gain or sensitivity, need not be rigidly oriented to the physical antenna. An array antenna, hundreds or thousands of small antenna elements laid out along a line or, more usefully, on a 2D lattice, offers an electronically controlled, agile beam or even multiple beams associated with multiple antenna outputs, a technology that can enable a military radar to precisely track many objects in flight simultaneously. The classic approach to efficiently realizing many simultaneous beams uses fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) for computational efficiency but severely restricts choices of system parameters. Generalized FFT beamsteering as described here loosens those restrictions to give system designers a larger tradeoff space and therefore opportunities for cost savings and performance gains, particularly for large digital radar arrays.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA517994
Entities
People
- J. O. Coleman
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory