Phase-only shaped beam synthesis via technique of approximated beam addition

A new method for phase-only phased-array beam-pattern synthesis is derived. The method is appropriate for the synthesis of coverage patterns for satellite communications, where a minimax goal of maximizing the worst-case beamforming gain to a set of service locations is desired. The new approach, called the technique of approximated beam addition, is found to be computationally attractive relative to conventional methods, yet offers optimal performance. Included are a theoretical consideration of optimality and simulation examples comparing the computational complexity and convergence quality to that of proven techniques.