A low profile antenna array for underground mine communication

The special environment in underground mines which features severe multipath fading and high attenuation rate in UHF band requires the antenna to have low profile, simple structure, polarisation diversity, directivity and high gain. A unique small antenna array consisting of low profile wire elements is designed for this particular application. Optimisation of various array parameters such as interelement spacing and element length with respect to array gain and frequency bandwidth is undertaken by using moment method. The effect on the array performance of a rectangular conducting box is also investigated. Measurement in a building corridor has verified the effectiveness of this antenna array for underground communication.<>