An array of two periodic leaky-wave antennas with sum and difference beam scanning for application in target detection and tracking

Abstract

An array of two substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) periodic leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) with sum and difference beam scanning is proposed for application in target detection and tracking. The array is composed of two periodic LWAs with different periods, in which each LWA generates a narrow beam through the n=-1 space harmonic. Due to the two different periods for the two LWAs, two beams with two different directions can be realized, which can be combined into a sum beam when the array is fed in phase or into a difference beam when the array is fed 180° out of phase. The array integrated with 180° hybrid is designed, fabricated, and measured. Measurement results show that the sum beam can reach a gain up to 15.9 dBi and scan from -33.4° to 20.8°. In the scanning range, the direction of the null in the difference beam is consistent with the direction of the sum beam, with the lowest null depth of -40. 8 dB. With the excellent performance, the antenna provides an alternative solution with low complexity and low cost for target detection and tracking.

Keywords

Antenna / Leaky-wave antenna (LWA) / Substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) / Sum and difference beam / Target detection and tracking

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