Design of a Wideband Phased Patch Antenna Array

Abstract

The increasing number of drones forms a more significant problem every year. Negative impact becomes more apparent during daily life as, for example, airport operations are shut down due to unauthorized users of drones. This report focuses on designing a new wideband antenna array as part of an integrated radar system to detect small objects, such as drones or birds. The design is done by studying generic array design assuming uncoupled antenna elements with omnidirectional radiation patterns. A comparative study of possible antenna element types has been conducted, concluded with selecting the best candidate. An antenna array has been designed with the embedded antenna elements and is verified using a prototype. Finally, an additional enhancement using meta-materials is done in an attempt to improve the antenna’s performance further. A wideband patch antenna array is proposed, which achieves a verified impedance bandwidth of 0.90 GHz with a scanning capability of ±30 degrees in azimuth and ±15 degrees in elevation. The measurements verify what the simulations have shown at broadside. Also, simulations have shown that the impedance could be increased to 2.96 GHz if a smaller feeding pin is used. It is also demonstrated that an AMC ground plane doesn't improve the antenna's performance and is, therefore, not implemented.