Antipodal vivaldi antenna array for biomedical imaging

摘要

A high-performance, broad-band antenna that is small enough to be used in an array for biomedical imaging, yet has an aperture large enough to allow operations in the 1 GHz to 2.7 GHz frequency range. The present antenna advantageously uses a Vivaldi antenna with unique lobe designs to provide a small antenna that provides excellent near field imaging. The ends of each lobe have a tilted half-disc shape that increases the aperture of the antenna without increasing overall size. Other unique features of the lobes include exponential structures and an impedance matching design. Multiple units of the present antipodal Vivaldi antenna can be used in an array of antennas. Such an array, or stack or multiple arrays, can be used in many microwave applications for biomedical imaging.

主权项

1. An antenna comprising:
a conductive front side lobe that is mounted on a front side of a support, the front side lobe comprising a microstrip, a front side intermediate structure having a first end connected to the microstrip and a second end opposite to the first end, and a first tilted half-disc shaped end directly connected to the second end of the front side intermediate structure at a first connection point such that an edge of the front side intermediate structure and an edge of the first tilted half-disc shaped end have an identical curvature where the edge of the front side intermediate structure and the edge of the first tilted half-disc shaped end meet; and a conductive back side lobe that is mounted on a back side of the support, the back side lobe comprising a ground plane, a back side intermediate structure having a first end connected to the ground plane and a second end opposite to the first end, and a second tilted half-disc shaped end directly connected to the second end of the back side intermediate structure at a second connection point such that an edge of the back side intermediate structure and an edge of the second tilted half-disc shaped end have an identical curvature where the edge of the back side intermediate structure and the edge of the second tilted half-disc shaped end meet, wherein the front and back side lobes flare outward from a center line of the antenna in opposite directions, wherein a line joining end points of the first tilted half-disc is at a non-zero angle with respect to the center line of the antenna and a line joining end points of the second tilted half-disc is at a non-zero angle with respect to the center line of the antenna, wherein the edge of the front side intermediate structure with respect to the center line is exponential from the second end to the first end, and the edge of the back side intermediate structure with respect to the center line is exponential from the second end to the first end.