Design and Analysis of Multi-Mode Distributed Array with Hybrid Optimization Method

In this paper, we presented an improved hybrid optimization method to construct distributed array with two identical sub-arrays, which is mainly applied on airplanes as the front-end of communication and detection system. According to different demands on array's gain and operating distances, the proposed method presents a scheme of implementation of two operate modes by optimizing elements' positions and excitations. Two sub-arrays are able to work together to realize high gain when the object is quite far away, and one sub-array is able to work alone when the object is relatively close. This method is presented based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method and convex method, accomplishing that peak sidelobe level (PSLL) of whole array is lowered under -10 dB, and PSLLs of sub-arrays are lowered under -20 dB by supplementing some auxiliary units and re-optimizing array's excitation distribution. In the procedure of optimization, the hybrid method is designed catering to multiple constraints according to the requirements of practical application. A specific example for synthesizing reconfigurable distributed array is provided and the sensitivity of obtained performance affected by interference of optimized results is discussed.