A novel automatic-dependent surveillance-broadcast patch antenna for aircraft tracking

This paper focuses on the design of a novel automatic-dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) patch antenna operating at 1090 MHz with good bandwidth and good gain for aircraft tracking and navigation purposes. The structure of the proposed antenna consists of a long strip line ended by a crescent patch, a U-shaped ground plane, and a rectangular substrate. The proposed antenna is simulated using both HFSS and CST electromagnetic simulators. The overall dimensions of the antenna are 130 x 26 x 1.6 mm(3), and is fabricated on a low-cost FR-4 epoxy substrate. Various parameters are determined and analyzed to evaluate the antenna performance in terms of reflection coefficient, impedance bandwidth, radiation pattern, gain, and efficiency. It has been verified and tested that the simulated results are in very good agreement with the measured ones. At the desired frequency of 1090 MHz, the ADS-B patch antenna has a gain of 2.23 dBi and a measured impedance bandwidth at -10 dB of 200 MHz. The antenna has an omnidirectional radiation pattern, which will allow the antenna to pick up ADS-B signals broadcasted by aircraft in all directions. An ADS-B system has been built and validated using aircraft data provided by the Flightradar platform.