Directional and isolated UWB‐MIMO antenna‐based uniplanar UWB‐FSS array and T‐strip for bi‐static microwave imaging: Baggage‐scanner

Abstract

This article presented a novel compact multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) hexagonal monopole antenna with a uniplanar compact frequency-selective-surface (FSS) array for microwave imaging (MWI). The ultra-wideband (UWB) dual-element linear MIMO antenna was designed on the FR4 substrate with 50 Ω coplanar waveguide feed, T-strip isolation, novel numerical calculation and equivalent circuit analyses. The main issues of realising high-resolution images based on planer UWB antenna for MWI are the low gain, omnidirectional pattern, design size and mutual coupling of MIMO design. A novel technique was proposed to solve a hybrid issue (mutual coupling) of the MIMO reflected-waves from the FSS array and direct-wave. The uniplanar UWB-FSS unit cell was compacted by combining a square-loop and cross-dipole with a size of 0.095λ × 0.095λ. The novel-isolated UWB-MIMO antenna and UWB-FSS array (IMAF) were integrated, after investigating the distance between the antenna and FSS. The fabricated IMAF with a stable gain improvement of 4.5 dBi higher than the antenna without FSS, directional radiation pattern, size of 30 × 73.8 × 21.6 mm3 observed that a low mutual coupling of −27 dB, and operation bandwidth of 3.0–11.7 GHz. Moreover, a handbag was scanned experimentally via the bi-static approach to detect a small concealed object. The MWI system based on the MIMO antenna with FSS was displayed image resolution of 55% higher than that of MIMO antenna without FSS. The new baggage-scanner approach confirmed that the proposed MIMO antenna with FSS array can lead the humanity for healthy MWI applications.