A five elements sequential rotation array arranged in a single-layer pentagonal substrate

A pentagonal circular polarized subarray composed of five elements is proposed for operation at 2.45 GHz. The array is based on the sequential rotation architecture (SRA), implemented with a sequential phase distribution network. Despite a more complex design in comparison to the canonical 4-elements SRA, a pentagonal subarray is more suited to be packed in a Bucky-ball or icosahedral arrangement, ideal for smart antennas with wide angle spatial coverage. A single-layer via-less prototype is fabricated on a common FR4 substrate. Measurements show a realized gain of 6.15 dBi with a polarization purity exceeding 20 dB at 2.45 GHz.