Broadband Planar Dipole Array Antenna with Double C-Shaped Slit Elements for Digital TV Broadcasting Transmission

This research has proposed a planar rectangular dipole antenna enclosed in double C-shaped parasitically slit elements (i.e., radiator element) on a double-cornered reflector for bandwidth enhancement. In the study, simulations were first carried out to determine the optimal parameters of the radiator element and then a radiator element prototype was fabricated and mounted onto a double-cornered aluminum reflector. The simulated and measured |S-11|<-10 dB of the antenna element covered the frequency ranges of 451-901 MHz (66.6%) and 455-886 MHz (64.3%), respectively. The gain was enhanced by the subsequent deployment of multiple radiator elements to fabricate a four-element vertically array antenna on an elongated double-cornered reflector. The simulated and measured |S-11|<-10 dB of the array antenna, respectively, covered the 410-991 MHz (82.9%) and 415-886 MHz (72.4%) frequency ranges. The proposed array antenna radiates unidirectionally across the DTV frequency band with a measured front-to-back ratio and cross polarization >20 and <-23 dB, respectively. The simulated and measured half-power beam widths in the E and H planes were respectively 56 degrees +/- 13 degrees and 20 degrees +/- 6 degrees; and 57 degrees +/- 13 degrees and 21 degrees +/- 6 degrees. In addition, the simulated and measured gains of the array antenna were 12.8-16.4 dBi and 11.3-15.8 dBi along the 470-862 MHz frequency range. This proposed array antenna is thus suitable for DTV broadcasting transmission. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.