Design, Simulation, and Performance Evaluation of 2.4 GHz Microstrip Patch Antenna Arrays with Power Divider for UAV and Drone Applications

Single-element microstrip patch antennas face significant challenges, including low gain and narrow bandwidth, which restrict their broader applications. This paper focuses on the design and simulation of rectangular microstrip patch antenna (RMPA) arrays to enhance gain performance compared to a single-element RMPA for Drone and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications. The process is done with the help of Computer Simulation Technology (CST) microwave studio. The resonant frequency, substrate material, and substrate height were first specified, followed by the design of a single-element RMPA as the initial step in the design process. The single element was excited by the quarter-wave feed line method for good impedance matching network. The two-element and four-element RMPA arrays were designed using the single-element RMPA as the fundamental building block. The performance of the designed and simulated antennas were evaluated and compared in terms of gain, return loss and radiated power. The results revealed that, the gain increased from 7.61 dB (single element) to 9.64 dB (2×1 array) to 10.7 dB (4×1 array). Compared to the single element RMPA the return loss of -23.61 dB, the 2×1 and 4×1 RMPA arrays achieved a return loss of -26.78 dB and -30.97 dB respectively. The radiated power analysis revealed that the 4×1 array achieved the highest transmission efficiency at 99.92%, surpassing the single-element (97.78%) and the 2×1 array (99.48%). The 4×1 array is the best performing configuration, with optimal impedance matching. This study confirms that increasing the number of elements enhances gain and directivity, leading to better radiation focus and power efficiency.