mmWave self-beam-tilting antenna array with low complexity and wide coverage

Abstract

This paper proposes an effective planar mmWave switched beamforming antenna array with low complexity and wide beam coverage. The proposed structure is configured using multiple linearly polarized self-beam-tilting-antenna (SBTA) elements, eliminating the requirement of a phase-adjustable block for beamforming. Each SBTA element can generate different main beam directions by itself without using complicated feed networks. Moreover, unlike typical Butler matrix-based beamforming arrays, the proposed SBTA array does not require passive hybrid couplers to adjust the phases for beamforming operations. Accordingly, the proposed feed network-less antenna avoids circuit complexity, feed network insertion losses, or increases in size and fabrication costs, rendering it suitable for mmWave compact antenna applications. To verify the proposed concept and beamforming performance, a 1 × 4 SBTA array was fabricated at 28 GHz using a conventional printed circuit board (PCB) process. The size of the fabricated antenna (excluding test connectors) was 1.12 λ0 × 1.68 λ0 × 0.08 λ0 (λ0 for free-space wavelength), and the measured 10-dB impedance bandwidth was approximately 5.9 %. Furthermore, the measured main beam switching directions were found at −34°, −52°, +51°, and +38° with measured gains of 6.7, 6.1, 5.9, and 6.6 dBi, respectively, at 28 GHz.