Systematic methods for synthesis and control of radiation patterns of antennas mounted on complex platforms

Recently, there has been considerable interest in applying the Characteristic Mode (CM) approach to the design and synthesis of patterns of multiple antennas located on platforms such as automobiles and mobile terminals. In the CM approach, various modes of the currents and their contributions to the total radiated power are found, and the locations of current maxima are identified. In this work we first begin by reviewing the CM approach and then introduce an alternate scheme. This scheme takes a cue from the Characteristic Basis Function Method for the analysis of antennas mounted on complex platforms, and then tailors it to the problem of exciting multiple antennas on these platforms in a manner such that a specified radiation patterns is realized. A comparative study of the two approaches is included for two practical examples, namely a mobile handset and a shipboard topside antenna placement problem.