Adaptive wire bow-tie antenna for GPR applications

In this paper, the basic design of an adaptive ground penetrating radar antenna is introduced. The antenna is able to adapt its input impedance to a variation in the antenna elevation and soil type to keep reflections at the antenna´s terminal minimum. As a result, energy transfer from the generator to the antenna is maximized, which in turn maximizes the energy radiated by the antenna into the ground for different antenna elevations and soil types. The antenna is based on a wire bow-tie structure with variable flare angle for adjusting the antenna´s input impedance. The flare angle variation is realized by short-circuiting the gaps separating the wires from the feed point of the antenna, for which electronic switching devices such as PIN diodes could be used to allow fast and convenient control of the antenna´s flare angle.