Design of an efficient miniaturized UHF planar antenna

The design aspects and the measured results of a novel miniaturized planar antenna are described. Such architectural antenna design is of great importance in mobile military communications where low visibility and high mobility are required. Slot radiating elements, having a planar geometry and capable of transmitting vertical polarization when placed nearly horizontal, are appropriate for the applications at hand. Slot antennas also have another useful property, so far as impedance matching is concerned. Basically, slot dipoles can easily be excited by a microstrip line and can be matched to arbitrary line impedances simply by moving the feed point along the slot. Antenna miniaturization can be achieved by using a high permittivity or permeability substrate and superstrate materials and/or using an appropriate antenna topology. We demonstrate miniaturization by designing an appropriate geometry for a resonant narrow slot antenna. A very efficient radiating element that occupies an area as small as 0.12/spl lambda//sub 0//spl times/0.12/spl lambda//sub 0/ is designed and tested. Simulation results, as well as the measured input impedance and radiation patterns of this antenna, are presented. This structure shows a measured gain of 0.5 dBi on FR4 substrate, which has a loss-tangent of the order of 0.01. Also, the effect of finite ground plane size on gain and resonant frequency is investigated experimentally.     

A substrate for small patch antennas providing tunable miniaturization factors

Magnetic properties were imparted to a naturally nonmagnetic material by metallic inclusions. A patch antenna tested the performance of the magnetic metamaterial as a substrate and validated that a single substrate can achieve a range of miniaturization values. The effective medium metamaterial substrate employed electromagnetically small embedded circuits (ECs) to achieve permeability and permittivity greater than that of the host dielectric. Geometric control of the ECs allowed /spl mu/ and /spl epsi/ to be tailored to the application. The magnetic metamaterial exhibited enhanced /spl mu/ and /spl epsi/ with acceptable loss-factor levels. Models for predicting /spl mu/ and /spl epsi/ are presented, the benefits of employing metamaterial substrates are discussed, and the results in this antenna experiment are presented. The metamaterial exhibits performance characteristics not achievable from natural materials. Of particular significance is that with the permeability varying strongly and predictably with frequency, the miniaturization factor may be selected by tuning the operating frequency. Simulations indicate that such performance can be extended to several gigahertz with current technology. Relative permeability values in the /spl mu//sub r/=1-5 range are achievable for moderately low-loss applications. Representative antenna miniaturization factors on the order of 4-7 over a moderate (approximately 10%) transmission bandwidth and efficiencies in a moderate range (20%-35%) are demonstrated with the possibility of higher efficiencies indicated.     

Printed figure-of-eight wire antenna for circular polarization

A new printed wire antenna with circular polarization properties is presented. The geometry of the printed wire which takes the form of a figure-of-eight has a total length of 1.3/spl lambda//sub o/ and serves as a nonresonant traveling-wave antenna. It is shown that a 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth of 15% can be achieved. The half-power and 3-dB axial ratio beamwidth is approximately /spl plusmn/45/spl deg/, while its gain is of the order of 6.5 dB.     

Small dual C-slot printed antenna

A novel shorted dual C-slot printed antenna is presented. The antenna consists of two C-shaped slots embedded within the shorted patch antenna to maximise the current path of the antenna. A 10 dB return loss bandwidth of 5.4% has been achieved. The overall dimension of the antenna is 0.11/spl lambda//sub 0//spl times/0.074/spl lambda//sub 0//spl times/0.074/spl lambda//sub 0/ and is suitable for application where limited space is a premium. Importantly, the antenna is easy to develop.     

Circularly polarized twisted loop antenna

A novel wire-loop antenna is introduced for circular polarization. By introducing a small gap at the middle of two nonradiating sides of a one-wavelength square wire loop, a 90/spl deg/ time-phase difference between the currents on the other two radiating sides can be achieved. Then by twisting the square loop to make the radiating sides orthogonal the necessary conditions are satisfied for circularly polarized radiation. The antenna yields nearly ideally circular polarization at broadside as well as excellent input impedance properties near the design frequency. The radiation pattern has a broad beamwidth and good rotational symmetry about the axis. For a demonstrator operating at 1 GHz, a 3-dB axial ratio was maintained over /spl plusmn/30/spl deg/. The mechanism of circular polarization is analyzed based on numerical simulation. Experimental results are presented to verify the theoretical predictions made.     

Compact slot and dielectric resonator antenna with dual-resonance, broadband characteristics

The goal of this study is to improve the bandwidth of a miniaturized antenna. The proposed technique combines a slot antenna and a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) to effectively double the available bandwidth without compromising miniaturization or efficiency. With proper design it is observed that the resonance of the slot and that of the dielectric structure itself may be merged to achieve extremely wide bandwidth over which the antenna polarization and radiation pattern are preserved. In addition, using the DRA, a volumetric source, improves the radiation power factor of the radiating slot. A miniaturized antenna figure of merit (MAFM) is defined to simultaneously quantify aspects of miniaturized antenna performance including the degree of miniaturization, efficiency, and bandwidth. Figures for various common types of antennas are given and compared with that of the proposed structures. In order to determine the effects of varying design parameters on bandwidth and matching, sensitivity analysis is carried out using the finite-difference time-domain method. Numerous designs for miniaturized slot-fed dielectric resonator antennas are simulated and bandwidths exceeding 25% are achieved. Two 2.4 GHz antennas are built, characterized, and the results compared with theory.     

On artificial magnetodielectric loading for improving the impedance bandwidth properties of microstrip antennas

The effect of artificial magnetodielectric substrates on the impedance bandwidth properties of microstrip antennas is discussed. We review the results found in the literature and then focus on practically realizable artificial magnetic media operating in the microwave regime. Next, a realistic dispersive behavior of a practically realizable artificial substrate is embedded into the model. It is shown that frequency dispersion of the substrate plays a very important role in the impedance bandwidth characteristics of the loaded antenna. The impedance bandwidths of reduced size patch antennas loaded with dispersive magnetodielectric substrates and high-permittivity substrates are compared. It is shown that unlike substrates with dispersion-free permeability, practically realizable artificial substrates with dispersive magnetic permeability are not advantageous in antenna miniaturization. This conclusion is experimentally validated.     

一种新型圆极化UHF通用型RFID读写器天线

面向超高频(UHF)通用型射频识别(RFID)读写器天线的应用需求,设计了一款完全覆盖全球UHF(840-960MHz)频段的RFID圆极化读写器天线。天线采用平面缝隙贴片结构,以共面波导(CPW)馈电方式实现宽频带圆极化特性。测试结果表明,天线的阻抗带宽为735-1014MHz(S11<-10dB),相对带宽31.9%,并且在840-960MHz频段内S11<-20dB,3dB轴比带宽为838-1134MHz,相对带宽30.0%,工作频带内有大于3.5dBi的平坦增益。仿真结果与测试结果基本吻合,天线结构精简,易于加工,满足全球UHF RFID读写器天线的应用需求。     

Investigation of wide-band microstrip slot antenna

This paper presents the simulation and experimental investigations of a printed microstrip slot antenna. It is a quarter wavelength monopole slot cut in the finite ground plane edge, and fed electromagnetically by a microstrip transmission line. It provides a wide impedance bandwidth adjustable by variation of its parameters, such as the relative permittivity and thickness of the substrate, width, and location of the slot in the ground plane, and feed and ground plane dimensions. The ground plane is small, 50 mm/spl times/80 mm, and is about the size of a typical PC wireless card. At the center frequency of 3.00 GHz, its width of 50 mm is about /spl lambda//2 and influences the slot impedance and bandwidth significantly. An impedance bandwidth (S/sub 11/=-10 dB) of up to about 60% is achieved by individually optimizing its parameters. The simulation results are confirmed experimentally. A dual complementary slot antenna configuration is also investigated for the polarization diversity.     

A mutual coupling study of linear and circular polarized microstrip antennas for diversity wireless systems

In this paper, an analysis of mutual coupling is presented to examine the benefits of orthogonal polarizations and patterns for adjacent microstrip antennas. The mutual coupling between two linear polarized antennas orientated in parallel polarizations (E and H plane) is reduced using low dielectric constant materials. The mutual coupling can be reduced an additional 20-35dB at the same inter-element spacing when adjacent elements are orientated in orthogonal polarizations, O plane. Similarly, the mutual coupling between two circular polarized antennas orientated in the parallel polarization is reduced using low dielectric constant materials. However, the reduction in mutual coupling between two circular polarized antenna elements orientated in the O plane is only an additional 1-6 dB. The mutual coupling between a linear polarized sum beam (1/2/spl lambda/) and difference beam (1/spl lambda/) antenna is reduced 20-35 dB below the case when using identical antennas only in the H- and O-planes. Compact two- and four-element multielement antennas with inter-element spacings less than 0.15/spl lambda/ are fabricated and the S parameters and radiation patterns are measured.     

A compact antenna for ultrawide-band applications

A novel compact and ultrawide-band (UWB) antenna is presented in this paper. The basis for achieving such an UWB operation is through proper magnetic coupling of two adjacent sectorial loop antennas in a symmetrical arrangement. A large number of coupled sectorial loop antennas (CSLA) with different geometrical parameters are fabricated and their measured responses are used to experimentally optimize the geometrical parameters of the antenna for achieving the maximum bandwidth. Through this optimization process an antenna with a VSWR of lower than 2.2 (S/sub 11/<-8.5 dB) across an 8.5:1 frequency range is designed. The maximum dimension of this antenna is smaller than 0.37/spl lambda//sub 0/ at the lowest frequency of operation and provides an excellent polarization purity. Furthermore, the antenna exhibits a relatively consistent radiation pattern. Modified versions of the CSLA are also designed to reduce the overall metallic surface and weight of the antenna while maintaining its wide-band characteristics. This allows modifying its dimensions to design low frequency light-weight UWB antennas.     

The C-patch: a small microstrip element

Presents a radiating element operating in the UHF and L-bands; its dimensions are smaller than those of conventional square or circular elements. For this type of antenna, good matching is obtained with a coaxial feed, and the omnidirectional radiation pattern is achieved using linear polarisation. The bandwidth, however, remains somewhat narrow.<>     

A systematic design method to obtain broadband characteristics for singly-fed electromagnetically coupled patch antennas for circular polarization

We present a systematic, empirical design technique to obtain optimum broadband impedance, axial-ratio (AR) and gain bandwidths for a singly-fed electromagnetically coupled patch antenna for circular polarization. Our investigation has also revealed tradeoffs amongst obtainable AR, impedance bandwidth and AR bandwidth. Using two design examples at different frequency bands and for different senses of circular polarization, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed knowledge-based tuning method. We have obtained at C-band measured values of impedance bandwidth (VSWR/spl les/2) equal to 43%, 3-dB AR bandwidth of 8%, AR of less than 0.3 dB and a mean gain level of 7 dB. For the Ku-band element, a 40% impedance bandwidth and a 17.3% of 3-dB AR bandwidth have been obtained with a peak gain of 7.2 dBic.     

Investigation of circularly polarized loop antennas with a parasitic element for bandwidth enhancement

It is demonstrated that the bandwidth of circular polarization (CP) can be significantly increased when one more parasitic loop is added inside the original loop. A single-loop antenna has only one minimum axial ratio (AR) point while the two-loop antenna can create two minimum AR points. An appropriate combination of the two minimum AR points results in a significant enhancement for the CP bandwidth. A comprehensive study of the new type of broad-band circularly polarized antennas is presented. Several loop configurations, including a circular loop, a rhombic loop, and a dual rhombic loop with a series feed and a parallel feed, are investigated. The AR (/spl les/2 dB) bandwidth of the circular-loop antenna with a parasitic circular loop is found to be 20%, more than three times the AR bandwidth of a single loop. For the rhombic-loop antenna with a parasitic rhombic loop, an AR bandwidth (AR/spl les/2dB) of more than 40% can be achieved by changing the rhombus vertex angle. The AR (/spl les/2 dB) bandwidths of the series-fed and parallel-fed dual rhombic-loop antennas with a parasitic element are 30% and 50%, respectively. A broad-band balun is incorporated into the series-fed dual rhombic-loop antenna for impedance matching. The broad-band CP performance of the loop antennas is verified by experimental results.     

一种小型UHF RFID读写器天线设计

基于RFID系统对天线的要求,提出了一种适用于UHF频段上的RFID读写器天线。该天线采用背馈馈电方法,通过在分形结构上采用非对称矩形切角来实现天线的小型化和圆极化。利用电磁仿真软件分析了天线性能,仿真与测试结果吻合良好。     

Single-feed circularly polarized microstrip ring antenna and arrays

An analysis is presented for a microstrip-feed proximity-coupled ring antenna and a four-element array. Interactions between the embedded microstrip feed and the radiating element(s) are rigorously included. Results demonstrate that circular polarization of both senses can be achieved with a ring antenna with proper design of two inner stubs located at angles of ±45° with respect to the feedline. Theory and experiment demonstrate an axial ratio 3-dB bandwidth of 1% and the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) <2 bandwidth of 6.1%. The axial ratio bandwidth is typical for a microstrip antenna with perturbations, while the VSWR bandwidth is larger than for the circular or rectangular patch with perturbations. A mutual coupling study between two elements shows that the axial ratio is less than 2 dB for interelement spacing greater than 0.55λ_eff, while the VSWR <2 for all spacings considered. A comparison between theory and experiment is provided for a 2×2 element array. The benefits of sequentially rotating the antenna elements in an array environment are presented. The axial ratio and VSWR bandwidths are both increased to 6.1% and 18% for a four-element array. A single-element antenna with two orthogonal feeds to provide both senses of polarization is demonstrated. The ring antenna is small (D/λ₀=0.325), the substrate thickness is thin (H/λ₀~0.035), and the microstrip feed produces a completely planar antenna system, which is compatible with microwave and millimeter integrated circuits (MICs), and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs)     

Elliptical planar monopole antenna with extremely wide bandwidth

A planar monopole antenna with an extremely wide bandwidth is introduced, which is composed of an elliptical monopole patch and a trapeziform ground plane, both printed on the same side of a substrate, and is fed by a tapered CPW feeder in the middle of the ground plane. The simulated and experimental results demonstrate that this antenna achieves a ratio impedance bandwidth of 21.6:1 for VSWR/spl les/2, and exhibits a nearly omnidirectional radiation pattern, while its area is only about 0.19/spl lambda//sub l//spl times/0.16/spl lambda//sub l/ where /spl lambda//sub l/ is the wavelength of the lowest operating frequency.     

A novel approach for miniaturization of slot antennas

With the virtual enforcement of the required boundary condition (BC) at the end of a slot antenna, the area occupied by the resonant antenna can be reduced. To achieve the required virtual BC, the two short circuits at the end of the resonant slot are replaced by some reactive BC, including inductive or capacitive loadings. The application of these loads is shown to reduce the size of the resonant slot antenna for a given resonant frequency without imposing any stringent condition on the impedance matching of the antenna. A procedure for designing this class of slot antennas for any arbitrary size is presented. The procedure is based on an equivalent circuit model for the antenna and its feed structure. The corresponding equivalent circuit parameters are extracted using a full-wave forward model in conjunction with a genetic algorithm optimizer. These parameters are employed to find a proper matching network so that a perfect match to a 50 /spl Omega/ line is obtained. For a prototype slot antenna with approximate dimensions of 0.05/spl lambda//sub 0//spl times/0.05/spl lambda//sub 0/ the impedance match is obtained, with a fairly high gain of -3dBi, for a very small ground plane (/spl ap/0.20/spl lambda//sub 0/). Since there are neither polarization nor mismatch losses, the antenna efficiency is limited only by the dielectric and ohmic losses.     

A beam-scanning and polarization-agile antenna array using mutually coupled oscillating doublers

In this paper, a two-dimensional mutually coupled oscillator array is studied for the application of a beam-scanning and polarization-agile antenna array. In the design of antenna array, a two-dimensional oscillator array is implemented in x-y plane, the polarization agility is provided by one dimension (or y-direction) and the other dimension (or x-direction) is for beam scanning. By properly tuning the free-running frequencies of these oscillators, the array radiation direction can be scanned at the selected polarization states including linearly polarized, left-hand and right-hand circularly polarized states. The maximal phase difference of /spl plusmn/180/spl deg/ between coupled oscillating signals is acquired by utilizing their second-harmonic signals. This then gives well-defined phase differences among oscillators for beam scanning in addition to the required quadrature phase difference for circular polarization. The performances of polarization agility and beam scanning for a four-element antenna array are verified experimentally and shown to have the potential for adaptive antenna array applications.     

Experimental study of wideband printed annular slot antenna with cross-shaped feedline

A annular slot antenna with cross-shaped feedline has been investigated experimentally to obtain a large bandwidth enhancement. The voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), radiation pattern, and antenna gain of this configuration are presented. Although the use of a high relative permittivity (/spl epsiv//sub r/=4.3) substrate usually restricts the operation bandwidth, the radiation resistance also was a low value. The measured bandwidth is /spl sim/ 108.4% (2.0 /spl ges/ VSWR).