3-D printed antenna arrays for harmonic radar applications

摘要

This paper presents two dual-channel antenna arrays for harmonic radar applications. The first design contains two four-element circular patch antenna arrays, where one array is used for transmitting a signal at fo of 2.4 GHz and one for receiving the second harmonic of the transmitted signal. This design measures 1.28 λ × 1.28 λ × λ/50 at 2.4 GHz, weighs 49.5 g, and has a measured gain > 12 dBi and bandwidth of 2%. To enhance the bandwidth, the second dual-channel antenna is designed based on two two-element quasi-Vagi dipole antenna arrays to cover the 2–3/4–6 GHz range. The second design measures 0.7 λ × 0.71 λ × 0.42 λ at 2 GHz and weights 16.3 g. Both of the designs are fabricated with 3-D printing technology to reduce the cost and weight.