A 1×2 circular patch antenna array for next generation 802.11ac WLAN applications

In this paper, design, simulation and optimization study of a 1×2 circular microstrip patch antenna (MPA) array for next generation 802.11ac wireless LAN (WLAN) is presented. The IEEE 802.11ac is a set of MAC layer enhancements for higher throughput in the 5GHz band. This emerging standard provides wider channels, higher throughput and efficient use of spectrum. The proposed antenna array is designed and simulated using Agilent ADS momentum. The antenna array is designed using the FR4 substrate (εr = 4.6 and h = 1.6mm). The dimensions of the proposed design is calculated using the transmission-line model. An inset-feed with quarter-wave transformer is used to feed the antenna elements. The proposed design improves the shortcomings of a classical rectangular MPA. Hence, the maximum achieved bandwidth and gain of the 1×2 circular patch antenna array are 292MHz and 5.17dBi respectively. The proposed array may be used as a template to form larger arrays which can be used in next generation 802.11ac WLANs.