My Favourite Simulation: Circularly Polarized Patch Antenna

FavoriteSimulation

One of my favourite simulations is actually quite a simple one. This is a demo example that I developed quite a few years ago to show how assembly modelling in CST Studio Suite can be used to add matching and a connector to a circularly polarised patch antenna. This type of antenna is commonly used in GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers - you'll have something like this in the "shark-fin" on your car roof (along with a number of other antennas!) The image shows a phase animation of the electric field just above the antenna, rotating in a beautifully mesmerising way.

I like this image for several reasons. Circular polarisation is not an immediately easy concept to grasp, but visualising it in this way makes it really clear what is going, and can suggest how to improve the antenna design to improve radiation performance. In addition, we see how the matching stub is working to improve the energy going into the antenna, and thus its radiation efficiency. We can also see the effect of the connector pins and the edge of the finite ground plane on the fields - both things that can (and perhaps should) influence the antenna feed design and integration, but are easy to forget about.



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