Reduced sidelobe low-cost antenna array with corner-coupled patches for radar applications

The paper presents the design of a low-cost large antenna array for radar applications. The presented antenna operates within 12 GHz frequency range and has been designed as a 12 × 12 array. To achieve low manufacturing cost a single layer of a FR4 laminate suspended over a ground plane has been used, which allows for achieving at the same time low dissipation losses within the antenna feeding network. The developed antenna array has been designed with the use of a series-feeding technique, in which all radiating elements are coupled to straight transmission lines. To achieve reduced sidelobe level an appropriate electromagnetic coupling, which provides taper excitation across a single linear antenna subarray, has been applied. Moreover, all linear antenna subarrays are fed with the use of power dividers, in which the required signal distribution is achieved with the use of electromagnetic coupling.