A Novel Dual-Functional Method for Wide-Angle Scanning Phased Array

A novel method to enhance the wide-angle scanning capability (WASC) of the array antenna is introduced in this letter, where can reduce the inter-element mutual coupling of the array and broaden the beam-width of the element in the array. Because of the bent metal plates, the horizontal and vertical currents are produced in the element of the array, which can extend the beam-width of the element in the array. Meanwhile, the decoupling function can be realized by the converse vertical currents from the adjacent antenna elements. Two 1×8 linear arrays are fabricated and tested to demonstrate the proposed method. The measured antenna performance accords with the simulated performance. The proposed array can scan the coverage of ±60° with a realized gain variation under 3 dB and lower side lobe level (SLL) under -7.9dB within the operating band from 4.5 to 5.0 GHz. Therefore, the proposed method has been demonstrated in the linear array and can be promoted to apply in the planar array for wireless communication systems, especially in the large coverage communication system.