Interactive Visualization of Two and Three Dimensional Antenna Patterns Using Personal Computers

Written by: A. Z. Elsherbeni and C. D. Taylor, Jr.

An interactive antenna pattern visualization package "APV" is developed to generate and display the far field patterns of different antennas and antenna arrays. The patterns are displayed in two or three dimensions depending on the antenna type or geometry. The three dimensional representation is based on the spherical coordinate system, where the radial coordinate (which is proportional to the amplitude of the pattern) is plotted as a function of the two angular coordinates. The two dimensional representation allows linear and polar formats with linear or dB scales. In the three dimensional representation, the user can view the entire radiation pattern (or array factor pattern) or one of the x-y, x-z, or y-z plane cuts one at a time. Changing the viewing angle is also allowed for a complete visualization. The user selects the antenna type and parameters through a user-friendly interface. Default values are initially presented to help the user decide on different antenna parameters. This version of the software provides visual analysis for the radiation fields from thin wire dipole antennas, circular loops, and infinite and finite corner reflector antennas. In addition to standard antenna geometries, the software permits one to visualize in an interactive procedure, the array factors of different types of antenna arrays. Among those arrays are the linear uniform and non-uniform arrays, Binomial arrays, Dolph-Tschebyscheff linear arrays, rectangular and circular two dimensional arrays, and cubic and spherical three dimensional arrays.

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Here are a few screen shots of this software package: