Design and Research on a 24GHz Microstrip Array Antenna

A 24 GHz microstrip array antenna based on series and parallel combination feeding network is designed in this paper by theoretical and experimental study. The whole design process includes theoretical analysis, HFSS ( High Frequency Structure Simulator ) simulation and practical manufacture. The array antenna design mainly includes four parts, design of the microstrip patch element, determining the number of radiating patch elements, determining the distance between every two adjacent patch elements and design of feeding network. Then, the microstrip array antenna is simulated and optimized by HFSS. The simulation results show that the VSWR ( Voltage Standing Wave Ratio ) characteristics present good, the maximum gain reaches 21dB and E-plane together with H-plane half-power beamwidth is as small as about 11.8 o . Both of the first side lobe levels are about-14 dB reaching the design requirements. After practical manufacture, the testing results show that the various indicators coincide with the simulation results and the antenna is reliable with stable performance.