antenna Toolbox
What is Antenna Toolbox?
The Antenna Toolbox™ offers a suite of functions and applications for designing, analyzing, and visualizing antenna elements and arrays. It enables users to create standalone antennas and assemble antenna arrays using predefined, parameterized elements, arbitrary planar structures, or custom 3D designs defined by STL files.
Utilizing electromagnetic solvers such as the Method of Moments (MoM), the toolbox calculates key performance metrics, including impedance, current distribution, efficiency, and both near-field and far-field radiation patterns. Antenna designs can be refined through manual adjustments or optimized using built-in algorithms. The toolbox also provides 2D and 3D visualization of antenna geometries and analysis results.
For seamless integration with wireless systems, antenna array patterns can be incorporated into beamforming and beam steering simulations. Impedance analysis results support the design of matching networks for RF front-end integration. Additionally, users can install antennas on large platforms like vehicles or aircraft to assess structural effects on performance.
The toolbox allows importing STL and Gerber files for analyzing existing structures or exporting them for manufacturing and collaboration. A built-in site viewer offers 3D terrain mapping to visualize antenna coverage using various propagation models, including ray tracing.
Antenna Modeling and Analysis
- Use the Antenna Designer app to design and visualize antennas interactively, selecting from nearly 100 parameterized elements (dipole, monopole, patch, spiral, fractal, and horn antennas).
- Enhance designs with backing structures like reflectors or cavities.
- Define metal properties and dielectric substrates to assess losses and efficiency.
Array Modeling and Analysis
- Use the Antenna Array Designer app to interactively create linear, rectangular, circular, and conformal arrays while analyzing the impact of mutual coupling.
- Conduct infinite array analysis to model large antenna systems.
Benchmarking and Verification
- Use the full-wave 3D MoM to analyze antenna elements and arrays.
- Compute port properties, including impedance and S-parameters, as well as current and charge distribution.
- Evaluate near- and far-field radiation patterns and compare results with antenna measurements or cutting-edge scientific research.
Custom Geometry and PCB Fabrication
- Use the PCB Antenna Designer app to interactively create antennas and arrays.
- Import Gerber files or design boundaries using geometric shapes, add multiple metal and dielectric layers, insert vias, and define probe or feed points.
Optimization, Matching, and Tuning
- Apply the SADEA optimization (machine learning-based) method for multiple design variables to enhance your antenna’s performance.
- Integrate it with the standard optimization techniques found in the Global Optimization Toolbox.
- Utilize the impedance and S-parameters of antennas and antenna arrays to design matching networks with the RF Toolbox.
- Leverage the RF PCB Toolbox to design distributed matching networks using catalog components.
Antenna Installation and Large Structure Analysis
- Mount antennas and antenna arrays on platforms like cars, airplanes, or ships.
- Calculate the radar cross section (RCS) of large objects to ensure precise target detection.
- Analyze the large structures using methods such as Physical Optics (PO), MoM-PO, or the Fast Multipole Method (FMM).
Import and Visualize Custom Patterns
- Import radiation patterns from MSI Planet antenna files (.MSI or .PLN).
- Display far-field and near-field data using 3D or polar plots.
- Interactively examine the data and calculate antenna metrics.
- Reconstruct the 3D radiation pattern from 2D orthogonal slices.
RF Propagation Models
- Calculate coverage and communication link characteristics using 3D geographical maps.
- Consider earth diffraction and reflection through propagation models like Longley-Rice or the Terrain Integrated Rough Earth Model™ (TIREM™).
- Assess coverage in urban environments using ray tracing propagation models.