PATCH ANTENNA ELEMENT AND APPLICATION THEREOF IN A PHASED ARRAY ANTENNA

A method of suppressing grating lobes generated in a radiating pattern of a phased array antenna, and a patch antenna element for use in the phased array antenna are described. The phased array antenna is formed from a plurality of symmetrical patch antenna elements spaced apart at a predetermined distance from each other. Each patch antenna element is configured for producing an asymmetrical radiation pattern. The antenna element includes a conductive ground plane, a radiating patch backed by a cavity and arranged in cavity aperture, and a feed arrangement. The patch antenna element is configured such that a dimension of the radiating patch along the E-plane of the antenna element is less than the dimension of the cavity aperture by a first predetermined value selected to provide an asymmetrical radiation pattern of the patch antenna element. To provide a required degree of the asymmetry of said radiation pattern, a dimension of the radiating patch along the H-plane should be less than the dimension of the cavity aperture along said H-plane by a second predetermined value.