Reconfigurable Grounded Vector Antenna for 3D Electromagnetic Direction Finding Applications

Abstract : In this letter, a reconfigurable grounded wideband antenna is proposed in view of vector sensor applications. This antenna combines two orthogonal and colocated semi-circular arrays of Vivaldi antennas mounted over a metallic support. The radiation patterns of two wideband magnetic dipoles and one wideband electric dipole can be synthesized thanks to an appropriate antenna excitation. Measurement results are in good agreement with the simulated results obtained from full-wave electromagnetic simulations. The proposed antenna exhibits stable radiation patterns over a wide impedance bandwidth of 1.69:1, a high radiation efficiency and a good isolation between the antenna input ports. This antenna is a good candidate for wideband 3D direction finding using a vector sensor.