Ybarra

Duke University
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
ECE 186
Lecture 15

Antenna Arrays

A linear antenna array is specified by its elements (usually identical), the number of antennas (array elements),
the spacing between the elements (usually uniformly spaced) and the feed signals (typically the same amplitude
with a constant increment in phase from one element to the next).








N element linear antenna array

The radiation pattern of an antenna array is the product of the array pattern (assuming isotropic radiators) and
the element pattern. Consider a field point well into the far field region of the array and the vectors from the
elements to the field point.









= 0 is called the end fire direction. = 90 is called the broadside direction. The far field assumption is the
same for all antennas (the angle counterclockwise from end fire is and is the same for all elements) implying
that all of the antenna rays to the field point are parallel. For amplitude calculations, all of the r
n
are taken to be
equal. For the phase: r
2
= r
1
- kcos, r
N
= r
N-1
- kcos. We will assume point sources to obtain the array pattern.
Consider a two element array with the excitation currents

Array Element Excitation Current

1 I
0
zu

2 I
0
z

Ybarra

The total phase difference between elements 1 and 2 is 0 =

2n
x
kcos() + o

E
1
=
E
0
J
0
J
cos __t -
J
c
]_


E
2
=
E
0
J
0
J
cos __t -
J
c
] +
2n
z
kcos() + o_

E
101
= E
1
+ E
2


In phasor form using the entire argument of the cosine function, we can write

E
1
= Ez_t -
J
c
]

E
2
= E
1
z
2n
z
kcos() + o

where E =
L
0
d
0
d
.

E
101
= E
1
|1 + c
]0
]

|E
101
| = |E
1
| (1 +cos0)
2
+ sin
2
0 = |E
1
|2 +2cos0


Invoke trigonometric identity _
1
2
(1 + coso) = cos [
u
2


|E
101
| = |E
1
| _2cos _
0
2
]_ = |E
1
| 2cos [
n
z
kcos() +
o
2


Example: Let k =
x
2
and o = u

|E
101
| = |E
1
| _2cos _
n
2
cos()__

where 2cos _
n
2
cos()] is the array factor (pattern)


Ybarra

A graph of the array factor looks like:

Example 2. k =
x
4
, o = -9u |E
101
| = |E
1
| 2cos [
n
4
cos() -
n
4


The array factor is: 2cos [
n
4
cos() -
n
4
, which looks like: