Abstract
In this paper, a novel wide-beam microstrip patch array antenna is proposed for automotive radar applications. Different from the regular wide-beam antenna, which is designed to achieve the wide-beam unit radiation performance, the proposed array antenna introduces the coupled-mode technology of the microstrip antenna to design an inclined unit radiation beam. The array elements are arranged alternately and in opposite phases so that the unit radiation beams alternately point to two sides of the array. The wide-beam feature and the high gain performance are realized simultaneously by the array characteristics. The excellent beamwidth and antenna gain performance enable enormous application potential in automotive radar. An 8-unit prototype working at 24 GHz is designed and fabricated for automotive radar applications. Measured results show that the special design scheme extends the horizontal-plane half-power beamwidth (HPBW) to 140°, and the maximum antenna gain is over 10.5 dBi.
Highlights
W ITH the rapid development of wireless communication systems, the application of electronic products is increasingly widening: the field of automotive electronics is no exception
Based on the design concept, an 8-unit prototype working at 24 GHz is designed and fabricated for automotive radar applications
A novel wide-beam array antenna based on coupled-mode microstrip unit is proposed for automotive radar applications
Summary
W ITH the rapid development of wireless communication systems, the application of electronic products is increasingly widening: the field of automotive electronics is no exception. B. WIDE-BEAM MECHANISM Based on the special radiation scheme of the coupled-mode microstrip antenna, a special array arrangement can be considered. When the two unit types are excited with equal amplitude and inverse phase, a wide-beam array radiation pattern can be synthesized Both the compact unit size (0.26 λ0 × 0.26 λ0) and the standard broadsiding radiation of the H-plane indict the feasibility of this array arrangement. From the top layer shown, it can be noticed that the geometric centers of the array units are not distributed on a straight line but are alternately distributed on the two sides of the central axis This can be attributed to the reason that the radiation phase center of the coupled-mode antenna is not at the geometric center.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
