Rapid Analysis of Arbitrary-Shaped Conformal Beam-Scanning Arrays

Conformal antenna arrays are able to fit seamlessly on curved 3D-shaped surfaces, which are found ubiquitously on vehicles, aircraft, a human body, etc. In addition, conformal structures can overcome the scan loss limitations of conventional planar arrays. Yet, only a few computational analysis methods have been proposed with either performance or applicability limitations. In this study, a rapid analysis methodology is developed for the analysis of arbitrary-shaped conformal beamscanning arrays. The method requires only specifying the element position vectors and normals in space. Arbitrary individual antenna patterns could be specified. Finally, an example study is provided examining the beam-steering performance of halfcylinder conformal arrays vs a reference square planar array.