Real-time performance considerations of an FPGA-embedded genetic algorithm for self-recovery of an antenna array

The paper discusses a real-time performance of a genetic algorithm (GA) that is embedded in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to create a system for real-time recovery of the radiation pattern of a thinned array. Major concepts of embedding an algorithm into an FPGA are discussed, along with a description of the problem and the performance of the current solution. A hybrid GA with dual-point crossover, Gray coding, and population rejuvenation is used for better search of the solution space, along with unequal weight factors within the cost-function evaluation. Real-time performance of the FPGA-embedded array-self-recovery algorithm is discussed over a 4-element and 16-element array. The optimal GA parameters with respect to the FPGA computation times are discussed in the context of real-time recovery of antenna array radiation by an FPGA-embedded algorithm.