Design of Miniaturized Wideband Beam Deflection Conformal Array Antenna

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Electromagnetics
• Antenna Theory

Background:

• Practical applications demand antenna miniaturization, wideband capabilities, and beam deflection.
• Existing antenna designs often face limitations in achieving these simultaneously.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a cylindrical conformal array antenna with a small-tilt forward beam.
• To achieve miniaturization and wideband characteristics while enabling beam deflection.

Main Methods:

• Loading microstrip antenna units with artificial electromagnetic structures to reduce size.
• Shortening array element spacing without increasing coupling.
• Slotting the ground plane to extend bandwidth.
• Configuring array elements and lines to control E-field and H-field beam widths.

Main Results:

• A cylindrical conformal array antenna with a forward beam, small dip angle was implemented.
• The main beam angle was less than 30° relative to the carrier axis.
• A bandwidth exceeding 30% was achieved.
• Antenna volume was reduced by 40.4%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed design successfully integrates miniaturization, wideband operation, and beam deflection for conformal antennas.
• The artificial electromagnetic structure and ground plane slotting are effective techniques for enhancing antenna performance.
• The developed antenna is suitable for applications requiring compact, high-performance conformal solutions.