Optically transparent balloon antenna

摘要

Based on Indium tin oxide (ITO) films and a cylindrical polyvinyl chloride (PVC) balloon, an optically transparent conformal log-periodic balloon antenna is presented in this paper. This antenna includes six cylindrically-conformal bowtie elements and is cross-fed by a parallel-strip transmission line. A comparative analysis is carried out for the proposed design using different types of commercial ITO films and perfect electric conductor (PEC) taper, respectively. Measured results of a fabricated prototype are in good agreement with simulated ones, which demonstrates the good radiation performance of the balloon antenna over a wide frequency band from 200 MHz to 500 MHz.