Wideband reflector-backed folded bowtie antenna for Ground Penetrating Radar
Résumé
A loaded ultra-wideband unidirectional folded triangular bowtie antenna is proposed for ground penetrating radar (GPR) applications covering the [0.5 GHz - 3 GHz] frequency range. The behavior of the proposed structure has been modelled and optimized using full-wave numerical simulations and measurements, in far-field and near-field settings in both time and frequency domains in free space and sandy medium. In particular, an impedance bandwidth of 100% with SWR ≤ 2, a broadside gain between 5-12 dBi, for total antenna size of 1.4 λm x λm, λm free space wavelength at the center frequency, are achieved as confirmed by laboratory-controlled measurements in free space and in GPR settings.