A Low-Profile Wide-Angle Coverage Antenna

Abstract

A low-profile wide-angle coverage antenna for Ad Hoc communication networks is presented in this letter, which consists primarily of a rotationally symmetrical structure with a microstrip patch antenna positioned at its center. Utilizing two orthogonal coupling feeds, the microstrip antenna produces circularly polarized radiation in the broadside direction. Meanwhile, the rotationally thin structure is driven by the coupling of the microstrip patch, and a linearly polarized radiation out of the range of ±15° is generated. Due to this parasitic structure, the radiation of the whole antenna at the upper hemisphere is balanced greatly, which leads to the wide-angle coverage ability enhancement of the low-profile antenna. A prototype operating at 2.7 GHz is fabricated and tested, demonstrating an impedance bandwidth of 15% (2.4 to 2.8 GHz). Measurement results show a 6 dB difference between the maximum and minimum gain in the upper hemisphere. With an overall antenna height of just 6 mm, all gains in the upper hemisphere exceed −3.5 dB.