Generating a 3D optical needle array with prescribed characteristics

Unlike the general optical needle along the optical axis, we propose a method to generate a three-dimensional (3D) array formed by optical needles with prescribed length and polarization direction. Moreover, the geometric model of the created array can be specified. With the aid of antenna array pattern synthesis theory and time reversal technology, a virtual uniform line source (ULS) antenna array arranged regularly near the confocal region of two high numerical apertures objectives is employed to obtain the required illumination in the pupil plane for creating the desired focal fields. Numerical results demonstrate that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the focal field and the virtual ULS antenna array elements. The length and polarization direction of the optical needles depends on the length and spatial direction of the virtual ULS antenna. The peculiarities of the focal field array, such as the polarization, length, number, spatial position and array structure, can be customized according to application requirements. The created optical needle array can be used for such application as 3D synchronous particle acceleration and manipulation, 3D parallel fabrication.

Design of a Broadband Array Pattern of Underwater Cymbal Transducers

Cymbal transducers are frequently used as an array rather than a single element because of their high quality factor and low energy conversion efficiency. When used as an array, cymbal transducers are likely to have a big change in their frequency characteristics due to the interaction with neighboring elements. In this study, we designed an array pattern of cymbal transducers to achieve a wide frequency bandwidth using this property. First, cymbal transducers with specific center frequencies were designed. Next, a 2 × 2 planar array was constructed with the designed transducers, where dielectric polarity directions of the transducers were divided into two cases (i.e., same and different). For the array, the effect of the difference in the center frequencies and the spacing between the transducers on the acoustic characteristics of the entire array was analyzed. Based on the results, the structural pattern of the array was optimized to have the maximum fractional bandwidth while maintaining the transmitting voltage response over a given requirement. The design validity was verified by making cymbal array prototypes, followed by measuring their performances and comparing them with that of the design.

Array Pattern Synthesis Using a Hybrid Differential Evolution and Analytic Algorithm

In this paper, a hybrid differential evolution and weight total least squares method (HDE-WTLSM) is proposed for antenna array pattern synthesis. A variable diagonal weight matrix is introduced in total least squares method. Then, the weight matrix is optimized by differential evolution (DE) algorithm to control the differences of the desired level and the obtained level in different directions. This algorithm combines the advantages of evolutionary algorithm and numerical algorithm, so it has a wider application range and faster convergence speed. To compare HDE-WTLSM with DE algorithm and typical numerical algorithms, these methods are applied to a linear antenna array and a conformal truncated conical array. Using our method, lower sidelobe levels and deeper nulls are obtained. The simulation results verify the validity and efficiently of HDE-WTLSM.

Using Antenna Arrays with Only One Active Element for Beam Reconfiguration and Sensitive Study in Dielectric Media

Antenna array pattern reconfiguration is usually achieved by changing the relative amplitudes and/or phases of the excitation distribution present in the array, at the cost of complex feeding networks. In this work, the mechanical displacement of a parasitic array perpendicular to another array with a single driven element is proposed. Additionally, the antenna is optimized addressing the variation of its response led by changes of the environmental dielectric constant of a surrounding gaseous medium. In such a way, a novel multipurpose antenna of utmost simplicity is obtained. From the computation of the self and mutual impedances, a control of the antenna radiation pattern by means of the induced currents in the parasitic elements is modelled. To illustrate the procedure, the technique will be applied to the variation of the side lobe level of a pencil beam and to obtain a flat-topped broadside beam from the same pencil beam, something with high interest for satellite applications. The proposed methodology represents an advance on the development of multipurpose antennas which resounds in simplicity not only in the reconfiguration of antenna beams, but in applications for the detection of particulate matter and/or measurements of the atmospheric dielectric constant.

Shape and Weighting Optimization of a Subarray for an mm-Wave Phased Array Antenna

This paper discusses how to optimize the weighting of individual subarrays to derive the low sidelobe level (SLL) based on quadratic programming (QP) and how to derive QP parameters to ensure that the objective function is composed of the quadratic function form, with the actual number identical to the standard objective function of QP. Next, in order to analyze the SLL, a 24 × 24 phased array antenna was compared with 96 transmit–receive modules (TRMs) attached only to the subarray stage and a phased array antenna with 576 TRMs attached to all radiating elements without a subarray. Optimized weighting was applied to the array antennas with a subarray, and Taylor weighting was applied to the array antennas without a subarray. The number of TRMs used in the phased array antenna with the optimized weighting was reduced by 83.3% compared to the phased array antenna in which TRMs were attached to all radiating elements. The SLL and the half-power beamwidths (HPBWs) of the two antennas were practically identical in a narrow beam-scanning environment. Finally, an array pattern (AP) in which mutual coupling between the radiating elements was considered was calculated to verify the optimized weighting. Moreover, the optimized weighting was applied to CST Microwave Studio (an EM full-wave simulation) to compare the results from the AP calculation and a simulation. It was confirmed that the two results above are largely indistinguishable. The analysis found that the HPBW is 3.6∘× 3.6∘ and the SLL is −26.18 dB from AP calculations in the boresight direction. When each 5∘ beam was scanned at the azimuth and elevation, the corresponding HPBW values were 3.7∘× 3.7∘ and 3.7∘× 3.7∘ and the SLLs were −22.70 dB and −24.44 dB according to the AP calculations.

Fast Synthesis Method for Large Aperture Array Pattern in the Presence of Array Errors

In this paper, an improved array synthesis method with array errors is proposed for large aperture arrays. Because of the array errors such as amplitude-phase errors and positions errors, the performance of the array synthesis is reduced seriously. Firstly, the ideal fast low sidelobe synthesis method is obtained based on the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) method. Then, by using Taylor expansion to remove the coupling relationship between the position of the element and the scanning angle, the compensation matrix for the pattern function and the array weighted vector with amplitude phase and position errors are derived. At last, the conversion relationship between the array with errors and the array weight vector is corrected in the iterative process. The theoretical simulation experiments verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method for the linear array and rectangular array pattern synthesis. Then, the influence of Taylor expansion order on the pattern synthesis results is analysed.

Fabrication and characterization of resistive double square loop arrays for ultra-wide bandwidth microwave absorption

Microwave absorbers using conductive ink are generally fabricated by printing an array pattern on a substrate to generate electromagnetic fields. However, screen printing processes are difficult to vary the sheet resistance values for different regions of the pattern on the same layer, because the printing process deposits materials at the same height over the entire surface of substrate. In this study, a promising manufacturing process was suggested for engraved resistive double square loop arrays with ultra-wide bandwidth microwave. The developed manufacturing process consists of a micro-end-milling, inking, and planing processes. A 144-number of double square loop array was precisely machined on a polymethyl methacrylate workpiece with the micro-end-milling process. After engraving array structures, the machined surface was completely covered with the developed conductive carbon ink with a sheet resistance of 15 Ω/sq. It was cured at room temperature. Excluding the ink that filled the machined double square loop array, overflowed ink was removed with the planing process to achieve full filled and isolated resistive array patterns. The fabricated microwave absorber showed a small radar cross-section with reflectance less than − 10 dB in the frequency band range of 8.0–14.6 GHz.

An Array with Crossed-Dipoles Elements for Controlling Side Lobes Pattern

This paper introduces an array with a new element structure to achieve asymmetric sidelobe pattern nulling which is a much desired feature in many applications such as communication systems, tracking radars, and imaging. The proposed element structure consists of combining two simple wire dipoles in the horizontal and vertical positions to form a crossed dipole element. The array patterns of the horizontal and vertical dipoles alone share some common radiation feature such angular null positions which are exploited to provide sidelobe nulling. By properly scaling the array pattern of the horizontal dipoles and added or subtracted its array pattern from that of the vertical dipoles, a new array pattern corresponds to the crossed dipoles elements with controlled sidelobes pattern can be obtained. The scaling factor selects which sidelobes to be cancelled. The method is equally applied to the uniformly and nun-uniformly excited arrays. The proposed idea is verified by simulating an array with 10 half wavelength crossed dipoles using CST microwave studio.

One-Shot M-Array Pattern Based on Coded Structured Light for Three-Dimensional Object Reconstruction

Pattern encoding and decoding are two challenging problems in a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction system using coded structured light (CSL). In this paper, a one-shot pattern is designed as an M-array with eight embedded geometric shapes, in which each 2 × 2 subwindow appears only once. A robust pattern decoding method for reconstructing objects from a one-shot pattern is then proposed. The decoding approach relies on the robust pattern element tracking algorithm (PETA) and generic features of pattern elements to segment and cluster the projected structured light pattern from a single captured image. A deep convolution neural network (DCNN) and chain sequence features are used to accurately classify pattern elements and key points (KPs), respectively. Meanwhile, a training dataset is established, which contains many pattern elements with various blur levels and distortions. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can be used to reconstruct 3D objects.