Reactively controlled directive arrays

The radiation characteristics of an <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">N</tex> -port antenna system can be controlled by impedance loading the ports and feeding only one or several of the ports. Reactive loads can be used to resonate a real port current to give a radiation pattern of high directivity. The theory of resonance is extended to include complex port currents and impedance loads. The initial design of an array is obtained by resonating a desired port current vector, which is then improved by an optimum seeking univariate search method. The direction of maximum gain can be controlled by varying the load reactances. Several numerical examples are given for a circular array of seven dipole elements.