Design and measurement of conformal antennas on cylindrical and spherical geometries

Conformal antennas on different kinds of surfaces as circular cylinders, elliptic cylinders, spheres, cones and even more complex formed surfaces like wings of aeroplanes have received more and more attention due to their extended beam scanning capabilities in comparison with planar arrays as well as their close mechanical fit to the carrying structure. This contribution discusses the advantages and drawbacks of cylindrical and spherical microstrip array antennas in terms of electrical performance and mechanical setup. It further outlines the design of these antennas and shows measured results for aperture coupled microstrip patch arrays on cylindrical and spherical surfaces.