Solving Communication Challenges with a Geodesic Dome Phased Array Antenna

Novel antenna structures are becoming increasingly necessary to implement new communication standards. One such structure, a spherical phased antenna array (PAA), shows promise for satellite and mobile communication applications where signals must have a long range and low signal to noise ratio as well as the capability of rapid, fully electronic beam steering. There currently exists a gap in fully realized and documented prototypes of modular spherical phased array antennas (PAAs) capable of beam steering in the X-band (8-12 GHz) [1], [2]. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a tile-based system, operating at 9 GHz, where each hexagonal/pentagonal tile contains four patch antenna elements connected to a beam forming integrated circuit (BFIC) that is controlled via Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) commands from MATLAB [3]. A custom Wilkinson power-divider feeds RF power to each tile and each tile is mounted to a 3D printed geodesic frame. The antenna’s radiation properties were simulated using CST, with performance evaluated through reflection coefficient and radiation efficiency [4]. The expected outcome, with further work, is a spherical antenna with high gain, a scalable and repairable design, and 360-degree azimuth coverage, contributing to advancements in conformal antenna array technology.