A Method for Tailoring the Gain Pattern of a Single Antenna Element

Abstract

In this paper, we present a novel method to tailor the radiation pattern of an antenna element, such as a single element of an array, by maximizing its partial radiation efficiency in the desired angular space. The tailored pattern of the single element is achieved by current distribution synthesis using multiple feed points in the antenna. A method to determine and realize the currents at the feeds is presented. The method is demonstrated by designing and manufacturing a four-element linear array consisting of tailored antenna elements and comparing its performance to the reference case. The element consists of four closely-spaced metallic patches placed on a substrate backed with a ground plane, and each patch is separately fed. The initial four-port feed is reduced to a single feed with a feeding network based on the determined currents. A conventional patch antenna is chosen as the reference. The simulated and measured results show improvement in the realized gain in the desired angular space.

Keywords

• Antenna arrays
• antenna efficiency
• antenna feeds
• antenna gain
• antenna radiation pattern synthesis
• design methodology