Chapter 16: Fault Detection in Linear Arrays Using Response Correction Techniques

In this chapter, we discuss a surrogate-assisted technique for detecting faulty elements in a small linear microstrip array of patch antennas from samples of the array’s far-field magnitude radiation pattern (here represented by realistic EM simulations). It is important that regardless of the array size, the method requires only one expensive full-wave entire-array simulation. This one simulation gives the accurate far-field magnitude pattern of the original defect-free array, and is used in conjunction with the defect-free array’s analytical array factor to formulate a response correction function. This response correction function can then be used to construct an accurate approximation of the EM-simulated pattern of any arbitrary faulty array at very low cost. The low cost and high accuracy of approximations make possible an enumeration strategy for identifying the faulty elements, which would have been computationally prohibitive were EM-simulated patterns to be used. Furthermore, partial faults and measurement noise are addressed. Accuracies in detecting up to three faults (including partial ones) in arrays of 16 and 32 elements exceeded 97% under noise-free conditions, and were above 93% in the presence of 2 dB measurement noise.