IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 60, NO.
10, OCTOBER 2012
Single Feed Stacked Patch Circular Polarized
Antenna for Triple Band GPS Receivers
Oluyemi P. Falade, Student Member, IEEE, Masood Ur Rehman, Member, IEEE, Yue (Frank) Gao, Member, IEEE,
Xiaodong Chen, Senior Member, IEEE, and Clive G. Parini, Member, IEEE
Abstract—A novel design of a circular polarized antenna for
multiband GPS receivers is presented. The design employs the
concept of multistacked patches fed through a single coaxial probe.
Three patches being stacked together with a slit and symmetry
I-slot are used to achieve triple operating frequency bands for GPS
including L1 (1.575 GHz), L2 (1.227 GHz) and L5 (1.176 GHz).
The proposed antenna has achieved a bandwidth of 2.0%, 1.5%,
and 1.7% at GPS L1, L2, and L5 bands, respectively. It exhibits
a minimum axial ratio of 0.51 dB with broad beamwidth in the
upper hemisphere required for the GPS applications. The design
of the proposed antenna is verified in the experiment. In addition,
a detailed analysis has been carried out to study the effects of dif-
ferent geometrical parameters on the performance of the antenna.
Index Terms—Axial ratio, circular polarized, global positioning
systems, stacked patch.
I. INTRODUCTION
T HE GLOBAL positioning system (GPS) is the most
popular member of global satellite navigation systems
(GNSS). It makes use of the medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite
constellation to transmit microwave signals allowing a GPS
receiver to determine the position, velocity, and time of the
user [1]. The integration of L5 (1.176 GHz) frequency band
with L1 (1.575 GHz) and L2 (1.227 GHz) frequency bands
has introduced the triple band GPS operation that will improve
the robustness of this service and techniques for high accuracy
positioning.
Availability of limited space on GPS receivers is a major chal-
lenge for the antenna design. Moreover, embedding multiple an-
tennas in a GNSS receiver to cover all three frequency bands
give rise to the problem of mutual coupling that degrades the
overall system performance. Design of a single antenna that can
cover multiple GNSS bands effectively, efficiently, and simul-
taneously can ameliorate this problem.
Circular polarized (CP) microstrip patch antennas is a pop-
ular choice for the GNSS receivers due to their numerous ad-
vantages including light weight, low profile, easy circuit inte-
gration, low fabrication cost, and ease of fabrication [2]. CP an-
tennas have been achieved using both single and dual feed tech-
Manuscript received January 10, 2012; revised April 23, 2012; accepted May
18, 2012. Date of publication July 10, 2012; date of current version October 02,
2012.
The authors are with the School of Electronic and Computer Science,
Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K. (e-mail: oluyemi.
falade@eecs.qmul.ac.uk; masood.rehman@eecs.qmul.ac.uk; yue.gao@eecs.
qmul.ac.uk; xiaodong.chen@eecs.qmul.ac.uk; clive.parini@eecs.qmul.ac.uk).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TAP.2012.2207354
0018-926X/$31.00 © 2012 IEEE
4479
niques [3]–[6]. Many studies have been reported in the litera-
ture that describe different methods of achieving multiband CP
antennas [7]–[9]. A stacked patch technique with a high permit-
tivity dielectric material is used by Yijun et al. [7] to achieve a
compact triple band antenna design. However, a dual orthogonal
feed is required to drive the antenna. Rao et al. [8] has utilized a
four elements antenna array using hybrid ring to achieve triple
band CP operation. The complexity and size of this antenna de-
sign makes it unsuitable for small GNSS terminals. A stacked
patch with vertical choke ring is used by Lee et al. [9] to reduce
the backlobes in the radiation pattern of the antenna. The an-
tenna also works in the three frequency bands. This antenna has
a ground plane size of 204 mm with a height of 60 mm. Again,
the size makes it too big for the compact mobile terminal.
Furthermore, to overcome the challenges of narrow axial ratio
bandwidth (ARBW) and impedance bandwidth (ZBW), Tseng
et al. [10] have used a slot in their design while Waterhouse et
al. and Lien et al. [11], [12] have made use of different dielectric
materials in a stacked patch design to get a dual band operation.
This paper proposes a novel CP antenna design based on
stacked patches with a single feed for the GPS operation in
L1, L2, and L5 band. Novelty of this design is its compact-
ness, simplicity, and distinct separation of the three bands with
good impedance bandwidth and axial ratio (AR). The paper is
organized as follows: Section II describes the principle of the
antenna design, Section III presents the results and discussion,
Section IV gives the parametric study of some key structural pa-
rameters, while the paper is concluded in Section V.
II. ANTENNA DESIGN
The geometry of the proposed single feed stacked patch CP
antenna is shown in Fig. 1. The antenna is made up of three
square patches stacked on one another. The stacked patch ap-
proach utilizes at least one driven element connected directly to
the feeding network and a number of parasitic elements placed
below the driven patch [13].
The use of stacked patch design has helped to solve the issue
of narrow bandwidth in microstrip patch antennas [14]. The
patches are etched on three different substrates. The lower sub-
strate has a thickness of and permittivity
; the middle and upper substrates are similar with a
thickness of and permittivity of .
The lower, middle, and upper patches are designed to resonate
at L5, L2, and L1 frequency bands, respectively. The ground
plane size is 80 mm 80 mm; the lower (P3), middle (P2), and
upper (P1) patches have a length of 66, 56, and 45 mm, respec-
tively. The total height of the antenna from the ground plane is
4480 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 60, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2012

Fig. 1. Geometry of the proposed stacked patch CP antenna showing: (a) side
view; (b) upper patch; (c) middle patch; and (d) lower patch.

Note: ( ,
, , ,
, , , , Fig. 2. Photograph of the triple band stacked patch antenna: (a) top view;
, , and ). (b) back view; and (c) side view.

4.8 mm. The other optimized dimensions for the proposed an-
tenna are shown in Fig. 1.
A single probe feed of 50 input impedance is connected
to the upper patch through via holes in the middle and lower
patches while the middle and lower patches are excited through
electromagnetic coupling. The via has contributed a capacitive
coupling to negate the inductance effect due to the inner con-
ductor of the probe. The use of slit on the edge of the lower
patch introduces the dual orthogonal mode necessary for CP ra-
diation pattern. Both the middle and upper patches are perturbed
by corner truncation which produces near degenerated resonant
mode resulting in circular polarization.
Optimization of the feeding probe position has been per-
formed through extensive simulations in order to achieve a Fig. 3. Measured and simulated reflection coefficients of the proposed antenna.
better impedance matching for the three patches. Moreover,
the centres of the three patches are not aligned. It is kept so
as to achieve the desired impedance matching in the required has increased the L5 band cross polarization. The prototype
frequency bands. The slit in the lower patch and the corner of the antenna is then fabricated in the antenna measurement
truncation of the middle and upper patches play a key role in laboratory at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
achieving an AR below 3 dB. Microstrip CP antennas usually The top, bottom, and side views of the prototype are shown in
suffer from poor AR because the resonance is degraded when Fig. 2. The measured and simulated reflection coefficient are il-
singly fed or dual orthogonally fed with a nonisolated splitter lustrated in Fig. 3. A reasonable agreement is observed between
[2]. This problem has been overcome in this proposed antenna the measured and simulated results across the three frequency
design through the use of symmetry I-slot in the middle patch. bands. The measured value of 10 dB impedance bandwidth
for GPS L1, L2, and L5 frequency bands are 1.160–1.182
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (2.0%), 1.214–1.232 (1.5%), and 1.568–1.598 GHz (2.0%),
The proposed antenna is optimized by using the electro- respectively. The simulated results appear to be 1.164–1.184
magnetic simulation package named computer simulation (1.7%), 1.219–1.242 (2.0%), and 1.550–1.590 GHz (2.5%),
technology (CST) microwave studio. The software is based on respectively. Small discrepancies between the measured and
the finite integral techniques (FIT) for electromagnetic compu- simulated results are due to cable effects, SMA connector and
tations [15]. The slit cut in the lower patch and the I-slots in the fabrication imperfection. The simulated axial ratio at broadside
middle patch need to be carefully designed to achieve a good direction (shown in Fig. 4) illustrates that the minimum axial
CP operation for the antenna. The use of different substrate ratio coincides with the resonant frequencies in the three bands.
dielectric material has improved the CP bandwidth in the GPS The 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth is 40 MHz (3.40%) in L5
L5 band [11]. This has occurred as a result of parasitically cou- frequency band, 10 MHz (0.81%) in L2 frequency band, and
pled element drawing power from the middle element which 13 MHz (0.83%) in L1 frequency band.
FALADE et al.: SINGLE FEED STACKED PATCH CIRCULAR POLARIZED ANTENNA FOR TRIPLE BAND GPS RECEIVERS
Fig. 4. Simulated axial ratio of the proposed antenna.
Fig. 5. Measured and simulated total radiation (LP) pattern at: (a) 1.176;
(b) 1.227; and (c) 1.575 GHz.
The antenna radiation pattern has been measured at the centre
frequencies of 1.176, 1.227, and 1.575 GHz in an anechoic
chamber at Queen Mary University of London. A standard lin-
early polarized (LP) horn is used to measure the total radiation
patterns in horizontal and vertical planes. The measured and
simulated radiation patterns at 1.176, 1.227, and 1.575 GHz
plotted in Fig. 5 show symmetric pattern (equal amplitude)
which indicates good circular polarization. The simulated
radiation patterns of the antenna in the x-z and y-z plane for
the three frequency bands are shown in Fig. 6. In both planes,
4481
Fig. 6. Simulated radiation pattern at x-z and y-z plane of the proposed antenna
at: (a) 1.176; (b) 1.227; d (c) 1.575 GHz.
Fig. 7. Cartesians plot (AR) of the proposed antenna showing a wider
beamwidth at the upper hemisphere.
the pattern is symmetric and right hand circular polarization
(RHCP) is stronger than left hand circular polarization (LHCP)
by more than 18 dB in the boresight direction. This gives the
antenna an excellent multipath rejection capability. Superior
cross-polarization rejection (20 dB) is achieved in the upper
hemisphere. The cross polar discrimination (XPD) in L1, L2,
and L5 frequency band is 30.7, 27.7, and 21.2 dB, respectively.
Fig. 7 illustrates the cartesian plots for the AR at the three
centre frequencies of 1.176, 1.227, and 1.575 GHz. It can be
observed that the minimum AR at the broadside is 1.54, 0.68,
and 0.59 dB for the three bands, respectively. Also the antenna
4482 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION, VOL. 60, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2012

TABLE I
PERFORMANCE OF THE PROPOSED ANTENNA USING DIFFERENT LOWER PATCH SLIT BREADTHS (S) FOR L5, L2, AND L1 BANDS

exhibits a wide beamwidth of about 172 , 161 , and 205 in

the upper hemisphere. This has met the wide angle coverage
requirement for many spacecraft communication and navigation
systems [16], [17]. The simulated gain appears to be 5.6, 5.6,
and 6.3 dBi for the three bands, respectively.
These results also show the superiority of the proposed
feeding structure over the conventional arrangement of the
feeding probe in stacked patch antennas. In the conventional
feed, the probe is connected to the lower patch while the
upper patch is electromagnetically coupled. The two patches
are separated by an air layer [18], [19]. A wide impedance
bandwidth with axial ratio below 3 dB can also be achieved
using this conventional feed with slots and/or corner truncation
[20]. However, the air layer increases the antenna thickness
Fig. 8. Simulated reflection coefficient for different values of lower patch slit
and adds to the fabrication complexity. Also, the use of air breadths.
substrate compromises the rigidity of the antenna. Moreover,
distinction of the individual frequency bands is not always
visible. The minimum axial ratio and the resonant frequency of
the impedance bandwidth do not always coincide.

IV. PARAMETRIC STUDIES

This section investigates the effects of some key structural
parameters on the performance of the proposed antenna. The
parameters are varied and simulated results are studied and pre-
sented.

A. Breadth of Slit (s)

The effect of the breadth of the slit in the lower patch on the
reflection coefficient and axial ratio is investigated first. The slit
lengthens the surface current path in the y axis direction with
little effect on the x axis (parallel to the slit). It therefore, cre- Fig. 9. Simulated axial ratio for different values of lower patch slit breadths.

ates two orthogonal near degenerated modes. An increase in the

surface current increases the electrical length of the patch that
lowers the resonant frequency or reduces the physical length of
the patch. As the slit’s breadth increases, the resonant frequency
decreases in L5 and L2 bands with little effect on L1 band. The
AR of L5 band decreases as the slit’s breadth decreases to 2
mm before increasing again. The axial ratio and ZBW of L1
band almost remains constant which is due to large separation
between lower and upper patches. Putting the minimum AR and
the reflection coefficient into consideration for the three bands,
the optimum value selected for the slit breadth is 2 mm. Table I
summarizes the results for the three bands while the S11 and
AR results are shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The length of the slit has
little impact on the S11 and the AR of the three bands.
B. Position of Symmetry I-slot (r)
The position of the symmetry I-slots on the middle patch in
the Y axis direction is another important parameter that affects
the antenna performance. It has been a means of centralizing the
minimum axial ratio at the centre frequency of the impedance
bandwidth within the three frequency bands respectively. As the
symmetry I-slot moves from the edge towards the centre of the
patch, the bandwidth increases, the resonant frequency almost
remains constant while the axial ratio increases at L5 band. For
L2 band, the impedance bandwidths decreases while the axial
ratio decreases before rapidly increasing when .
At L1 band, the impedance bandwidth increases as r increases
FALADE et al.: SINGLE FEED STACKED PATCH CIRCULAR POLARIZED ANTENNA FOR TRIPLE BAND GPS RECEIVERS
TABLE II
PERFORMANCE OF THE PROPOSED ANTENNA USING DIFFERENT POSITION OF SYMMETRY I-SLOT FROM THE EDGE OF THE PATCH (R) IN THE Y AXIS DIRECTION
FOR L5, L2, AND L1 BANDS
Fig. 10. Simulated reflection coefficient for different I-slot position from the
edge of the middle patch in y axis direction.
until it reaches to 17 mm. When exceeds from 17 mm, the
impedance bandwidth starts decreasing. The axial ratio exhibits
an opposite trend. It decreases as r increases from 15 to 17 mm.
As r increases further, the axial ratio starts increasing. It shows
that the I-slot can be used to reduce the electrical length of
the patch; to improve the axial ratio and impedance matching
of the antenna in the three operating frequency bands. The de-
crease in the resonant frequency has resulted in a reduction of
the electrical thickness of the substrate, thus slightly reducing
the axial ratio bandwidth [21]. Therefore, the optimum value of
is selected for the optimized design. The S11 and
AR for the different values of are presented in Figs. 10 and
11. Table II gives a summary of the performance of the antenna
with varying position of the I-slot in the y axis direction. The
position of the I-slot in the x axis direction has little impact on
the reflection coefficient and axial ratio of the proposed antenna
in the three bands, respectively.
V. CONCLUSION
A novel design of compact single feed stacked patch CP an-
tenna for the GPS receiver has been proposed. The antenna sup-
ports a triple band operation with good performance in GPS L1,
L2, and L5 frequency bands. The triband operation has been
obtained by using three patches stacked on top of each other.
4483
Fig. 11. Simulated axial ratio for different I-slot position from the edge of the
middle patch in y axis direction.
Slit cut and I-slot techniques have been implemented to achieve
improved operational bandwidth and minimum axial ratio. The
broad beamwidth, low cross polarization and high gain of this
antenna makes it suitable for the GPS applications.
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Oluyemi Peter Falade (S’08) received the HND
degree in electronic and telecommunication engi-
neering from the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara,
Nigeria, in 2001, the PGD degree in electrical and
electronic engineering from the Federal University
of Technology Akure, Ondo, Nigeria, in 2006, and
the M.Sc. degree in wireless networks from Queen
Mary University, London, U.K., in 2009, where he
is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree.
His current research interests include small and
compact multifunction/multiband antennas for
GNSS mobile/handheld terminals and small satellites.
Masood Ur Rehman (M’11) received the B.Sc.
(Hons.) degree in electronics and communication
engineering from the University of Engineering and
Technology, Lahore, Pakistan, in 2004, the M.Sc.
degree in wireless networks, in 2006, and the Ph.D.
degree in electronic engineering from Queen Mary
University, London, U.K., in 2010.
He then joined the School of Electronic En-
gineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary
University of London as a Research Assistant. His
main research interests include electromagnetic
interaction of antennas and human body, multipath environment effects on
mobile terminal antennas, and UWB communications.
Yue (Frank) Gao (M’07) received the M.Sc. degree
in telecommunication systems and the Ph.D. degree
in electronic engineering from Queen Mary Univer-
sity of London, U.K., in 2003 and 2007, respectively.
He joined the Antenna Group at Queen Mary Uni-
versity of London, in 2002 His research interests in-
clude multiple antenna design, cognitive radio, navi-
gation, and MIMO. He has completed the multipath
modeling project funded by FP7 Galileo Joint Un-
dertaking and the on-body propagation project sup-
ported by Sony Ericsson. His recent research is on
the spectrum detection for the cognitive radio system. His group has developed
different detection methods including energy detection, wavelet detection, and
joint wideband detection. He developed power-control and adaptive threshold
for the TV White Space spectrum detection. He holds one patent, and published
more than 30 journal and conference papers.
Xiaodong Chen (M’96–SM’07) received the B.Sc.
degree in electronic engineering from the University
of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, China, in 1983 and the
Ph.D. degree in microwave electronics from the
University of Electronic Science and Technology of
China, Chengdu, in 1988.
In September 1988, he joined the Department of
Electronic Engineering at King’s College, University
of London, as a Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow. In
September 1990, he was employed by the King’s
College as a Research Associate and was appointed
to an EEV Lectureship later on. In 1999, he joined the School of Electronic
Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary University of London and
is currently a Professor at the school. His research interests include in the
fields of wireless communications, microwave devices, and antennas. He has
authored and coauthored over 300 publications (book chapters, journal papers,
and refereed conference presentations).
Dr. Chen is currently a Member of the UK EPSRC Review College and Tech-
nical Panel of the IET Antennas and Propagation Professional Network.
Clive G. Parini (M’96) received the B.Sc. and Ph.D.
degrees from Queen Mary University, London, U.K.,
in 1973 and 1976, respectively.
He then joined ERA Technology Ltd, U.K.,
working on the design of microwave feeds and
offset reflector antennas. In 1977, he returned to
Queen Mary University and is currently a Professor
of Antenna Engineering and heads the Antenna
and Electromagnetics Research Group. He has
published over 300 papers on different research
topics including communications, antenna, and
electromagnetics. He is currently the Director of Research for the School of
Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary University of
London.
Dr. Parini is a Fellow of the IET, an elected Fellow of the Royal Academy
of Engineering (2009), and a Member and past Chairman of the IET Antennas
and Propagation Professional Network Executive Team. He is a Member of the
editorial board and past Honorary Editor for the IET Journal Microwaves, An-
tennas, and Propagation.