American International Journal of Available online at http://www.iasir.

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Research in Science, Technology,
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ISSN (Print): 2328-3491, ISSN (Online): 2328-3580, ISSN (CD-ROM): 2328-3629
AIJRSTEM is a refereed, indexed, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary and open access journal published by
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Hexagonal Antenna Array for Broadcasting Applications

K. Sunil Kumar1, D. Akhila John2
1
Student M.Tech., 2 Asst. Professor
Acharya Nagarjuna University, agarjuna Nagar, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh 522510, INDIA

Abstract: In this paper, we have proposed a antenna arrays of 8 elements hexagonal patch for radar
applications designed at 15.1 GHz frequency. The antenna array simulations are carried out by using HFSS
software. FR4 epoxy with dielectric constant 4.4 and thickness 0.8 mm is used as substrate. Details of the
antenna array design are presented and simulation results are discussed. Antenna arrays are useful for
many types of applications such as traffic control and collision avoidance radars, smart base station
antennas for WLAN and cellular communication.
Keywords: Antenna Array, HFSS, Radar.

I. INTRODUCTION
Recently, the development of communication technology is highly increased and indicating still continues to
grow, not least with a wireless communication system. Not only making advanced technology increases, the
wireless communication systems with their services applications are very popular in everyday life with a variety
of advantages, such as to provide communication services at anytime and anywhere for the users. Those
phenomenon’s can be seen by the increasing demand for cellular phone service, wireless internet access,
teleconference .These days, there is a very large demand by the end user for integrated wireless digital
applications. Antennas which are used in these applications should be low profile, light weight, low volume and
broad bandwidth [1]. To meet these requirements, microstrip antenna is preferred. An antenna should be low-
profile, comfortable to planar and non planar surfaces, simple and inexpensive to manufacture, mechanically
robust when mounted on rigid surfaces[2]. When the particular patch shape and mode are selected they are very
versatile in terms of resonant frequency, polarization, pattern and impedance. Microstrip single antenna has
several advantages, it also has several disadvantages such as low gain, narrow bandwidth with low efficiency.
These disadvantages can be overcome by constructing many patch antennas in array configuration. In this paper,
the design of single and one by four (1x4) and one by eight (1x8) patch array microstrip hexagonal antennas
with microstrip line as feeding method is presented. Quarter-wave transformer is used to match the feeding line
to the antennas. The center frequency is determined to operate at 15.1 GHz. The 1x8 patch array antenna
designed on the substrate type FR4 epoxy with dielectric constant of 4.4 and thickness of 0.8 mm. This antenna
offers a return loss of 23.70 dB. More significantly, as per the rigorous simulation study using HFSS microwave
studio, the 1x8 patch array antenna perform the single patch antenna in terms of radiation gain, directivity and
bandwidth
II. ANTENNA GEOMETRY AND SIMULATION
The patch in the antenna is made of a conducting material Copper (Cu) and this can be in any shape like
rectangular, circular, triangular, elliptical or some other common shape. The hexagonal patch antenna is
designed so as it can operate at the resonant frequency.
Side of a hexagonal patch is given by

Radius of hexagonal patch antenna is given by

Fig.1 shown below is the basic element of the Hexagon patch Array with microstrip feed.

Fig. 1: Basic Hexagon patch antenna

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 Sunil Kumar et al., American International Journal of Research in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, 10(4), March-May,
2015, pp. 384-389

Fig.2 shown below is a four element Hexagon patch array with microstrip feed and equal power divider.

Fig. 2: 4 element Hexagon patch array

Fig.3 shown below is a eight element Hexagon patch array with microstrip feed and equal power divider with
two input ports.

Fig. 3: 8 element Hexagon patch array

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Basic Microstrip feed Hexagon patch antenna has been designed for k u – Band and the various antenna
parameters are shown below.
Return Loss:
S11 versus frequency plot has a return loss of -23.607 dB at 15.1GHz
Name X Y XY Plot 1 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

m60.00 15.1000 -23.6079 Curve Info

dB(St(HEXAPATCH_T1,HEXAPATCH_T1))
Setup1 : Sw eep
dB(St(HEXAPATCH_T1,HEXAPATCH_T1))

-5.00

-10.00

-15.00

-20.00

m6

-25.00
11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 19.00 20.00
Freq [GHz]

Fig. 4. Return Loss

VSWR:
Proposed antenna has a VSWR of 1.148dB at 15.1GHz
Name X Y XY Plot 2 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT
45.00
m1 15.1000 1.1484 Curve Info
dB(VSWRt(HEXAPATCH_T1))
40.00 Setup1 : Sw eep

35.00
dB(VSWRt(HEXAPATCH_T1))

30.00

25.00

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00
m1

0.00
11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 17.00 18.00 19.00 20.00
Freq [GHz]

Fig. 5. VSWR

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 Sunil Kumar et al., American International Journal of Research in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, 10(4), March-May,
2015, pp. 384-389

Radiation Pattern:
E-plane and H-plane radiation patterns are as shown below:
Radiation Pattern 3 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

0 Curve Info
dB(GainTotal)
-30 30 Setup1 : Sw eep
2.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='0deg'
dB(GainTotal)
Setup1 : Sw eep
-6.00
Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='90deg'
-60 60
-14.00

-22.00

-90 90

-120 120

-150 150
-180

Fig. 6. Radiation Pattern

3D Polar Plot:
A total Gain of 4.6135 dB is observed in the 3D-Polar plot at 15.1GHz.

Fig. 7. 3D Polar Plot

Microstrip feed Hexagon patch antenna array with 4 elements with equal power divider has been designed for
enhanced Gain and the various antenna parameters are shown below.

Return Loss:

S11 versus frequency plot has a return loss of -26.339 dB at 15.1GHz.

Name X Y XY Plot 2 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

m0.00
1 15.1000 -26.3339 Curve Info
dB(S(1,1))
Setup1 : Sw eep

-5.00

-10.00
dB(S(1,1))

-15.00

-20.00

-25.00 m1

-30.00
14.00 14.50 15.00 15.50 16.00 16.50 17.00
Freq [GHz]

Fig. 8. Return Loss

VSWR:
Antenna has a VSWR of 0.8385dB at 15.1GHz.
Name X Y XY Plot 3 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT
17.50
m 1 15.1000 0.8385 Curve Info
dB(VSWR(1))
Setup1 : Sw eep
15.00

12.50
dB(VSWR(1))

10.00

7.50

5.00

2.50
m1

0.00
14.00 14.50 15.00 15.50 16.00 16.50 17.00
Freq [GHz]

Fig. 9. VSWR

AIJRSTEM 15-461; © 2015, AIJRSTEM All Rights Reserved Page 386

 Sunil Kumar et al., American International Journal of Research in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, 10(4), March-May,
2015, pp. 384-389

3D Polar Plot:
A total Gain of 9.112 dB is observed in the 3D-Polar plot at 15.1GHz.

Fig. 10. 3D Polar Plot

Radiation Pattern:
The Radiation Pattern of the 4-Array antenna at 15.1 GHz is as shown below.
Radiation Pattern 2 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

0 Curve Info
dB(GainTotal)
-30 30 Setup1 : Sw eep
-2.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='0deg'
dB(GainTotal)
Setup1 : Sw eep
-9.00
Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='90deg'
-60 60
-16.00

-23.00

-90 90

-120 120

-150 150
-180

Fig. 11. Radiation Pattern

Microstrip feed Hexagon patch antenna array with 8 elements having equal power divider and two input ports
has been designed for enhanced Gain and the various antenna parameters are shown below.
Return Loss:
S11 versus frequency plot has a return loss of -23.706 dB at 15.1GHz.
Name X Y XY Plot 2 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

m0.00
1 15.1000 -23.7069 Curve Info
dB(S(1,1))
Setup1 : Sw eep

-5.00

-10.00
dB(S(1,1))

-15.00

-20.00

m1

-25.00
14.00 14.50 15.00 15.50 16.00 16.50 17.00
Freq [GHz]

Fig. 12. Return Loss

VSWR:
Antenna has a VSWR of 1.135dB at 15.1GHz.
Name X Y XY Plot 3 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT
20.00
m1 15.1000 1.1353 Curve Info
dB(VSWR(1))
Setup1 : Sw eep
17.50

15.00

12.50
dB(VSWR(1))

10.00

7.50

5.00

2.50
m1

0.00
14.00 14.50 15.00 15.50 16.00 16.50 17.00
Freq [GHz]

Fig.13. VSWR

AIJRSTEM 15-461; © 2015, AIJRSTEM All Rights Reserved Page 387

 Sunil Kumar et al., American International Journal of Research in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, 10(4), March-May,
2015, pp. 384-389

Radiation Pattern:
The Radiation Pattern of the 8-Array antenna at 15.1 GHz is as shown below
Radiation Pattern 3 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

0 Curve Info
dB(GainTotal)
-30 30 Setup1 : Sw eep
7.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='0deg'
dB(GainTotal)
Setup1 : Sw eep
-1.00
Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='90deg'
-60 60
-9.00

-17.00

-90 90

-120 120

-150 150
-180

Fig. 14. Radiation Pattern

3D Polar Plot:
A total Gain of 11.94dB is observed in the 3D-Polar plot at 15.1GHz

Fig. 15. 3D Polar Plot

Figure 16 shows the comparison of the E-Plane pattern of the single element, four element and eight element
Hexagon patch antenna array.
Radiation Pattern 5 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

0 Curve Info
dB(GainTotal)
-30 30 Setup1 : Sw eep
10.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='90deg'
dB(GainTotal)_1
Imported
0.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='90deg'
-60 60 dB(GainTotal)_2
Imported
-10.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='90deg'

-20.00

-90 90

-120 120

-150 150

-180

Fig. 16. E-Plane Pattern

Figure 17 shows the comparison of the H-Plane pattern of the single element, four element and eight element
Hexagon patch antenna array.
Radiation Pattern 4 HFSSDesign1 ANSOFT

0 Curve Info
dB(GainTotal)
-30 30 Setup1 : LastAdaptive
10.00 Freq='15GHz' Phi='0deg'
dB(GainTotal)_1
Imported
0.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='0deg'
-60 60 dB(GainTotal)_2
Imported
-10.00 Freq='15.1GHz' Phi='0deg'

-20.00

-90 90

-120 120

-150 150

-180

Fig. 17. H- Plane Pattern

AIJRSTEM 15-461; © 2015, AIJRSTEM All Rights Reserved Page 388

 Sunil Kumar et al., American International Journal of Research in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics, 10(4), March-May,
2015, pp. 384-389

IV. CONCLUSION
Design of Hexagon Patch antenna array is done using the simulation software HFSS, achieved a good response
in terms of the various antenna parameters like Return loss, VSWR, Gain and Radiation Pattern. E-Plane and
H-Plane patterns of the Single patch antenna 4- element array and 8 element array are compared and it is
observed that the gain and directivity increases with increase in the number of elements.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Extending our grateful thanks to the authorities of Acharya Nagarjuna University for their support and
encouragement to write this paper.

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