Design of a Triangular Slotted Parasitic Yagi-Uda Antenna for Underwater Linear Sensor Network

Abstract

The underwater channel is a highly random and unpredictable medium for signal transmission. Acoustic signals, even though are successful in travelling long distances in seawater, have limitation in terms of bandwidth and speed. Optical signals are limited by the muddiness of the seawater. For radio frequency (RF), high concentration of salt in seawater means it is highly dispersive. Nonetheless, the use of RF provides high bandwidth and low latency capabilities which are essential for a high data rate and real-time telemetry system. The antenna is an essential part of any RF system, thus its design is of utmost importance. In building an underwater linear sensor network, the antenna would have to be directional with high gain because of the losses associated with the seawater. In this work, we have proposed a novel Yagi-Uda antenna with slotted triangular parasitic element. Simulations were performed using CST. A fractional bandwidth of 30% was achieved with good reflection coefficient of -24 dB.