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An Efficient Method for Investigating and Optimizing Near Field Characteristics of Planar Antenna Arrays

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Abstract

Near field focusing of 2-dimensional planar antenna arrays is analyzed by using a very efficient analytical method, instead of time consuming numerical methods. This is especially important for the design and optimization process for dynamic beam forming and other near field applications. Antenna arrays show increased side lobes at larger beam steering angles in the near field. Conventional techniques such as inhomogeneous but symmetrical amplitude illuminations to assure a certain side lobe suppression level do not reduce the side lobes completely or sufficiently for the near field case, especially in the back fire direction. In this paper, asymmetrical amplitude weighting coefficients in combination with Chebyschev are used to further improve the side lobe suppression over a larger angular range.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Prof. Dr. Arne Jacob, Director of the Institute for High Frequency Engineering of the Technical University Hamburg, and my colleague Prof. Dr. Heinz Schmiedel at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences for the good cooperation and fruitful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Communication Technologies, Birkenweg 8, 64295, Darmstadt, Germany

    Shun-Ping Chen

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  1. Shun-Ping Chen
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Correspondence to Shun-Ping Chen.

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Chen, SP. An Efficient Method for Investigating and Optimizing Near Field Characteristics of Planar Antenna Arrays. Wireless Pers Commun 95, 223–232 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-016-3888-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-016-3888-2

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