The effect of curvature adaptation on 2.4GHz rectangular patch antennas

In this paper, the adaptation of a rectangular patch antenna to curvature is studied. This is so as to realize any useful effects or influences on the antenna's performances with regard to wireless systems deployment. For the first time, new terminologies have been used to describe the dimensions of the curvatures that have been adapted. Circumferential coverage, instead of simply radius, is used for circular curvatures while eccentricity is used for elliptical curvatures. Several performance parameters, notably the efficiency, directivity, beam-width, and side-lobe, are examined for all curvatures considered. Improvement of radiation efficiency, broadening of angular width, and suppression of the back lobe are the results worthy of note. These enhancements could prove beneficial to wireless systems that place greater emphasis on coverage area rather than range. Examples of such wireless systems include Wireless LANs, RFIDs, etc. More so, the predictable changes taking place in the beam-width and other pattern characteristics, as a result of either varying circumferential coverage or eccentricity, can afford pattern diversity. Lastly, the decision to study two patch antennas with very different substrate material properties has presented two variants of the effects of curvature adaptation. The variance is seen in the magnitude of change in the radiation efficiency and angular width when varying the circumferential coverage. It is also seen when varying eccentricity-noticeable changes in the pattern characteristics of one whereas only marginal and irregular changes in the other.