Analysis, optimization, and hardware implementation of dipole antenna array for wireless applications

The antenna pattern synthesis is one of the significant problems in the phased array antenna. Pattern synthesis refers to the optimized weight excitation of each antenna element in order to steer the beam electronically without mechanically rotating the antenna. It can be achieved by using a combination of phase shifters and attenuator circuits. In this paper, a 2 by 2 dipole antennas with an RF beamforming circuit has been designed to steer the main beam along the azimuth plane. The main beam coverage from 100° to 140° with a step size of 10° has been successfully optimized using a hybrid of the induced EMF method and a genetic algorithm. The optimization results were compared to the full-wave simulation technique implemented in Empire XCCel. The design is realistically implemented at 2.45 GHz, with both simulation and measurement results shown. The measured reflection coefficient of the phased array antenna is −48 dB at 2.56 GHz. The feasibility of the beam synthesis has been validated successfully with the main beam being steered at 110°. The possibility of a fabrication discrepancy resulting in minor radiation degradation is also discussed in this research. The dipole antenna system with RF beamformer circuit can be applied to indoor positioning systems such as Wi-Fi, wireless local area network (WLAN), and fifth-generation.