ANTENNA DESIGN AND RADIATION PATTERN

Abstract

Characteristics and radiation patterns of many antenna geometries and antenna arrays can be evaluated but not easily visualized. This paper presents a software package that has been developed to allow for 2D and 3D visualization of the radiation patterns for many different types of antennas and antenna arrays. The package allows the user to visualize the field patterns for a given type of antenna, and to display the constituent parameters (input impedance, directivity, gain, etc). The user may inspect the field pattern for a single element of many different types of antennas (such as dipole, loop, aperture) or for arrays of common elements. The parameters for these antennas or arrays may be varied manually or via an automated swept parameter menu. The program allows for the design and study of diverse antenna arrays. Common types of 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D arrays are available, as well as a builder for an arbitrary system of elements. Synthesis and simulation tools are also integrated into the package to allow for automatically determining the best configuration for an array or an element to meet a predetermined radiation characteristic.