On the efficient beam pattern synthesis in concentric ring array antennas using nature-inspired algorithms

With the modern advances in the wireless communication technologies based on intelligent computing, nature-inspired algorithm has gained immense popularity in the area of antenna array optimisation. This paper presents an effective synthesis method of a uniform concentric ring array antenna using the novel application of two famous nature-inspired meta-heuristics algorithms namely multi-verse optimisation (MVO) algorithm and cat swarm optimisation (CSO) algorithm to obtain an effective beam pattern. The primary objective is to minimise the sidelobe level (SLL) and enhance directivity, while also reducing computational overhead and structural complexity in terms of the number of concentric rings and active antenna elements. Three distinct design scenarios were formulated where Case 1 demonstrated a uniform six-ring configuration as the baseline for performance comparison. In Case 2, the number of active elements is reduced while maintaining consistent ring dimensions focusing on optimising inter-element spacing and excitation parameters. In Case 3, optimisation flexibility is further improved by simultaneously adjusting together the number of active elements as well as the radii of the rings. The performance of CSO and MVO was evaluated and benchmarked against state of the arts. Simulation results reveal that MVO, particularly in the last, achieves superior directivity and sidelobe suppression with fewer elements and reduced runtime, offering a more efficient and scalable solution for modern antenna array design. The proposed optimisation framework demonstrates significant potential for improving the electromagnetic characteristics of concentric circular array antenna with constraints.