Hierarchical Beamforming Networks for Phased Array of Antennas by Subarray Modularization

A hierarchical beamforming network (BFN) architecture to feed phased arrays of antennas for directional beam radiation is developed by using a subarray modularization technique. Instead of feeding the antenna elements by using individual sets of RF devices in a one-to-one correspondence, the RF devices are sub-grouped for modularization with each module formed by very few elements to form multi-level BFNs, whose numbers of elements are the integer factors of array size. Each module consists of identical RF structures for the minimization of manufacture and implementation cost. In this paper, examination of the discrepancy in the radiation characteristics is investigated to demonstrate the feasibility and validate the technique.