Vehicle Platform Effects on Performance of Flexible, Lightweight, and Dual-Band Antenna for Vehicular Communications

This paper highlights the impact of the ground, of the vehicle surroundings and of the car body on signal transmission and reception of a dual-band microwave antenna tested on two automotive plastic parts on a convertible vehicle for cellular and Cellular - Vehicle To Everything (C-V2X) communications. The implemented antenna operates at 975 MHz and 5.5 GHz and facilitates the future vehicular communications in vehicles without steady rooftops. Four experiments are performed with the antenna placed (a) in the Satimo near field system; (b) on a stanchion at an outdoor range facility without the presence of a car; (c) at the outdoor facility in the side mirror of the convertible vehicle; and (d) on the trunk lid of the same vehicle. Antenna co- and cross- polarization radiation patterns are measured and results indicate that the ground and the vehicle’s body affect the radiation performance of the antenna. The presence of ground causes an increase in the antenna’s cross-polarization level. The reflections caused by the car’s body perturb the omni-directional radiation pattern of the antenna and may degrade the vehicular microwave signal transmission due to the presence of nulls.