Some Concepts and Techniques for Beam-Scanning Rate Management of Leaky-Wave Antennas

Frequency-enabled beam-scanning possessed by leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) proves to be a relatively low-cost and low-complexity solution for radar systems that require a scannable beam for target detection and resolution. However, the expense frequency-scanning radars (or LWA-based radars) have to pay is the coupling between the realizable angle and range resolution. As will be revealed in this paper, the LWA’s beam-scanning rate is a critical parameter that should be carefully considered for related radar systems since it will exclusively determine the range resolution when the angle resolution is given. The relationship between the range-angle resolution and the beam-scanning rate of an LWA-based radar is derived. This is followed by the description of some concepts and techniques for LWAs to manage their beam-scanning rate such as the rapid and slow beam-scanning behaviors, providing the related LWA-based radar the ability to flexibly regulate its resolution metrics.