Low-Cost Design Optimization of Antennas with Peripheral Components

Abstract

Antennas belong to the key components of wireless communication devices. Strict design specifications imposed on modern systems can be fulfilled only by complex antenna structures. Their computational models have to be of high fidelity to ensure reliability, i.e., sufficient agreement between simulations and physical measurements of the fabricated prototypes. A prerequisite for that is utilization of full-wave EM analysis but also incorporation of the peripheral components. EM-driven design of high-fidelity models using conventional optimization algorithms is often impractical due to high computational cost entailed by a large number of simulations required to find a desired solution. In this work, a low-cost optimization of antenna structure with peripheral components is discussed. The performance of the presented approach is demonstrated using a bandwidth-enhanced quasi-patch antenna optimized to maximize the gain while maintaining acceptable in-band reflection. The results indicate a fifty-percent reduction of the design cost compared to a benchmark algorithm.