The demand for high-performance antennas that can fulfill the needs of numerous applications has increased due to the field of wireless communication's amazing growth and evolution in recent years. In this context, creating novel antenna designs is essential for increasing the effectiveness and dependability of communication systems.
Visualize a world in which vehicles connect easily and share vital information to guarantee secure and effective transportation. Imagine self-driving vehicles negotiating tricky crossings and exchanging information in real time to avoid accidents and traffic congestion. Imagine how seamlessly emergency response vehicles can coordinate their efforts in times of need, speeding up response and saving lives. The promise of vehicular communication is this picture of networked automobiles, which is not some far-off time. The development of transportation systems depends on the capacity of cars to connect with one another and with infrastructure, which depends on cutting-edge antenna technology.
While vehicular communication holds immense promise, it also presents unique challenges. The key challenge lies in designing antennas capable of handling the vast and dynamic Ultra-Wideband (UWB) spectrum. Existing solutions often fall short in delivering the required bandwidth, efficiency, and reliability for seamless vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
In response to these difficulties, this work offers a ground-breaking remedy: an ultra-wide band microstrip patch antenna based on meta-materials that is designed expressly for vehicular communication applications. In order to enable continuous communication between vehicles, our research intends to create an antenna that provides the necessary bandwidth, radiation efficiency, and directed radiation pattern.
Significance of Metamaterials: Because of their distinctive electromagnetic properties, metamaterials show enormous promise for antenna design. Metamaterials are an excellent option for tackling the difficulties of vehicular communication because they allow antennas to perform at levels of performance never before possible by meticulously modifying the electromagnetic behavior of materials.
Metamaterials' extraordinary electromagnetic characteristics give antenna designers a level of control and accuracy never before possible over an antenna's operation. These materials can be engineered so that permittivity and permeability can be controlled to provide special phenomena like negative refraction and subwavelength focusing that are essential for improving the performance of antennas in difficult conditions.
As the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) has delegated a frequency range of 7.5GHz (3.1GHz - 10.6GHz) as Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) in the year 2002, UWB technologies have garnered extensive experimental attention. UWB apparatuses have the benefits of minimal sophistication, low energy utilization, high throughput capability, low noise, strong temporal resolution, and resistance to strong multipaths. Due to their simple structure, geometric composition, and simplicity of inclusion into microwave circuitry, microstrip patch antennas are an excellent choice for UWB systems.
The microstrip antenna's main disadvantage is its limited ohmic resistance, that confines its use to UWB applications. To address the narrow-band issue, approaches such as raising the thickness of the substrate, using a weak coercivity substrate, filling the radiation plane with slits, overlaying various antenna components, using a parasitic component, and using EM band gap designs have been explored.
Furthermore, certain metamaterial-based microstrip patch antennas with wide ohmic resistance range are being explored, although they do not encompass the entire FCC-defined Ultra-wideband and are produced on rather costly substrates that are normally not employed in economic system design. In this proposition, a redesigned miniature, inexpensive meta-material based microstrip antenna for UWB applications is presented. The recommended antenna incorporates unique metamaterial blocks in the radiating and ground plane.
Utilizing nano composite structures, the antenna's optimal radiation aligns predominantly along the negative plane, with an associated frequency increase, in contrast to the vertical plane commonly observed in the majority of microstrip patch antennas. A robust alignment between the simulation results and practical measurements underscores the reliability of the findings. The simulations were conducted using Ansoft's HFSS software.
A specific type of antenna, known as the dual-band meta-material-based ultra-wideband microstrip patch antenna, operates effectively across two distinct frequency ranges through its metamaterial structure. This innovative design offers a significant operational bandwidth, making it suitable for a wide array of applications, including wireless communication, radar systems, and remote sensing. Numerous researchers have delved into the realm of dual-band meta-material-based ultra-wideband microstrip patch antennas, and several literature surveys have been conducted in this area.
Wang et al. [18] developed a triple-band planar antenna particularly for WLAN/WiMAX applications that uses single-cell metamaterial structures and a defective ground plane. Their suggested antenna performed admirably in terms of bandwidth and effectiveness. Wideband dielectric resonator antenna for microwave applications with a square gap defective ground construction was proposed by Raghavendra et al. [19] and was motivated by metamaterials. High radiation efficiency and a wide operational bandwidth were attained by this antenna.
A small antenna for ultra-wideband applications was proposed by Singh et al. [20], which utilized design ideas inspired by metamaterials and was fed by a coplanar waveguide. Their antenna had outstanding bandwidth, radiation efficiency, and return loss performance. A microstrip antenna with an I-shaped metamaterial superstrate was introduced by Ajewole et al. [21] in order to increase gain for multiband wireless systems. High gain and multiband operation were both accomplished by this design
For WiMAX and satellite applications, Gupta et al. [22] presented a dual-band, metamaterial-inspired antenna with a virtual ground plane. Their antenna demonstrated outstanding radiation efficiency and dual-band operation. A compact ultrawideband antenna with a split ring resonator structure and a band-notched design was reported by Jairath et al. [23]. This antenna provided a notch at a certain frequency and was able to operate in the ultrawideband range.
Using metamaterials, Aggarwal et al. [24] unveiled a high-gain super wideband antenna. In terms of bandwidth, gain, and efficiency, this antenna performed very well. Simple linear-type negative permittivity metamaterial substrate microstrip patch antenna with wideband operation and good radiation efficiency was presented by Hui et al. [25].
Hossain et al. [26] proposed a triple-band microwave metamaterial absorber, employing double E-shaped symmetric split ring resonators, primarily designed for EMI shielding and stealth applications. Their absorber demonstrated strong absorption performance across three distinct frequency bands. Collectively, these research papers highlight the potential of metamaterials in antenna design for a wide range of wireless communication applications. Table 1 provides a comparison of existing dual-band meta-material-based ultra-wideband microstrip patch antennas for V2X applications.
Table 1. Comparison Table of Existing Dual-Band Meta-Material Based Ultra-Wide Band Microstrip Patch Antenna for V2X Applications
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Ref
No.
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Author
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Bandwidth (GHz)
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Frequency Band (GHz)
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Antenna Size (mm)
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Gain (dBi)
|
Advantages
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Limitations
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18
|
Wang et al.
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Triple-band
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2.4-2.5, 3.5-3.6, and 5.2-5.8
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13 × 13
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4.8-6.8
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A compact triple-band antenna featuring a single-cell metamaterial structure and a modified ground plane.
|
Limited frequency range
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19
|
Raghavendra et al.
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Wideband
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Wideband: 3.38-7.15
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35 × 35
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4.4-7.4
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An antenna with wideband dielectric resonator properties that draws inspiration from metamaterials and incorporates a defected ground structure.
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Not suitable for all applications
|
20
|
Singh et al.
|
Ultra-wideband
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Ultra-wideband: 2.5-20
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20 × 20
|
2-5
|
A compact antenna designed for ultra-wideband applications, utilizing a metamaterial-inspired approach and fed through a coplanar waveguide (CPW).
|
Limited radiation efficiency
|
21
|
Ajewole et al.
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Multiband
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Multiband: 2.4-5.8
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30 × 30
|
5-8
|
A microstrip antenna featuring an I-shaped metamaterial superstrate designed to amplify its gain.
|
Limited bandwidth
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22
|
Gupta et al.
|
Dual-band
|
Not specified
|
36 × 36
|
4.6-6.7
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A compact antenna designed for dual-band operation, incorporating a virtual ground plane and intended for use in WiMAX and satellite applications.
|
Limited radiation efficiency
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23
|
Jairath et al.
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Ultrawide band
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Ultra-wideband: 3-18
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32 × 32
|
6.5-9
|
A compact antenna with ultra-wideband characteristics, featuring a split-ring resonator structure inspired by metamaterials and equipped with a band-notched design.
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Limited frequency range
|
24
|
Aggarwal et al.
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Super wideband
|
Not specified
|
25 × 25
|
7.2-10.8
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An antenna characterized by high gain and designed for super wideband applications, employing metamaterial-based principles.
|
Complex design and fabrication
|
25
|
Hui et al.
|
Not specified
|
5.5-5.6
|
50 × 35
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4-6
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A microstrip patch antenna designed on a simple linear-type negative permittivity metamaterial substrate, known for its unique electrical properties.
|
Not suitable for all applications
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26
|
Hossain et al.
|
Triple band
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Triple band: 6.53-6.87, 7.39-7.97, and 8.94-9.95
|
70 × 70
|
3.5-5.5
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A triple-band microwave absorber designed for applications in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and stealth technology.
|
Limited frequency range
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