Pattern optimization of a reflector antenna with planar-array feeds and cluster feeds

We study pattern optimization of a parabolic reflector with planar-array feeds and cluster feeds. The optimization is carried out within the conjugate gradient method (CGM) in which the optimum weight vector of a linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beam former is used as the initial condition. Optimization with the CGM to determine element weights is found to yield better sidelobe suppression and true settlement of desired scan direction compared to the LCMV beam former and conjugate field matching (CFM) techniques for the continuous beam-scanning case. The proposed method is also applied to multibeam reflector-antenna design.