Array beamforming in the presence of a mounting tower using genetic algorithms

A beamforming method based on genetic algorithms (GAs) is proposed for antenna arrays in the presence of strong platform effects. A GA is used to maximize the mainbeam radiation and minimize sidelobe levels based on the active element patterns of the array. Simulation results show that the array excitations optimized by the GA can achieve superior beamforming performance than those from array theory or phase conjugation. Experimental results collected from a seven-element circular array further demonstrate the beamforming and direction finding performance of the GA based beamformer. In addition, an array element position optimization is carried out. Simulation results show further improvement in the beamforming performance.