Lecture: 15

Antenna Array-I

Dr. Yogesh Kumar Choukiker

School of Electronics Science Engineering

Microwave and Photonics Division
VIT University, Vellore, India

Dr. Yogesh Kumar Choukiker

Introduction to Array
Array is a collection of individual elements. An antenna array is a
collection of such individual elements arranged in a periodic
manner in space
Individual elements for example mean half-wave dipole or a
quarter wave monopole or even a simple wire antenna
Why an array ?
As we have seen previously that a half-wave dipole or a wire antenna
has an omnidirectional radiation pattern, of directivity equal to unity.
Most of the communication systems require data to be transferred at
large distances, for which directivity (or gain) to be high
Directivity can be increased by increasing the size of radiating element
[recall the directivities of Hertzian & half-wave dipole]. But this is
impractical as physical size cannot be increased beyond certain limits
An array of single antennas has fields adding in one direction and
cancelling each other in another, by which high directivity is achieved
Dr. Yogesh Kumar Choukiker
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Beamforming Techniques
In an antenna array of identical elements, the five controls that
can be used in shaping a radiation pattern are
1. Geometrical configuration of the array

Linear Circular

Individual
elements

Non-Planar

Planar
Dr. Yogesh Kumar Choukiker
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Beamforming Techniques

2. Relative displacement between

the elements d

3. Excitation amplitude of
individual elements

Dr. Yogesh Kumar Choukiker

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Beamforming Techniques

4. Excitation phase of
individual elements

5. The relative pattern of the

individual elements

What is beam forming ?

Beam formation is a technique by which the radiation pattern of an
antenna (directivity) is adjusted as desired. The five methods discussed
above also help us steer the beam in any direction of our interest

Dr. Yogesh Kumar Choukiker

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