Active element pattern and array pattern of patch array antenna including ground edge effect

The active element pattern (AEP) and beam pattern of a patch array antenna are analytically calculated with a finite ground plane. The patch antenna is modeled by two equivalent magnetic current sources. Edge diffraction by surface wave is also added. To obtain AEP, the phase and magnitude of scattering parameters from full-wave simulation are utilized. To validate our calculation, the calculated results are compared with HFSS full-wave simulation. The results show that the effects of edge diffraction are significant as the number of array is smaller.