Process compensating for array antenna radiating element positioning errors

A process of compensating for the effects of the errors of location of the radiating elements of an array antenna on the radiation pattern of said antenna, said process comprising the following steps:

• measuring the positioning error for each radiating element n and compiling an imperfection vector I, whose components are values of the positioning error function δ(n);
• computing a spectral decomposition of the positioning error function δ(n), in the spatial domain, in the form of the sum of spectral sinusoidal components dd(i) calculated by application of a Fourier transform to the imperfections vector I, and applying an inverse Fourier transform to vector dd obtained in this way, each component of vector I being then expressed as a sum of sinusoidal errors;
• calculating correcting functions Δa(n), Δφ(n), from the sinusoidal spectral components dd(i) of the error function δ(n), said correcting functions being defined as sums of sinusoidal spectral components An(i) and Φn(i);
• elaborating a correction function Δ(n) from Δa(n) and Δ100(n) to apply to the radiation pattern F(θ) of the antenna, as a function of the aiming angle θ0 of the antenna, said correction Δ(n) being applied to the radiation patterns of the sources forming the radiation pattern F(θ) of the antenna, to correct the error of location of the considered source.