Rooftop mounted vehicular antenna for V2X communication

In this study, an innovative approach has been developed for designing V2X communication antennas, focusing on achieving good bandwidth, simplicity in fabrication, and low cost. Two novel antenna types are proposed: a dipole patch antenna element and a regular hexagon microstrip antenna. Both are designed to operate within the IEEE 802.11p defined vehicular communication band at a resonant frequency of 5.9 GHz. One of the significant advantages of proposed antennas is their simplified geometry, which facilitates easier fabrication. Moreover, we've mentioned that they can be fabricated at a very low cost, which is crucial for widespread adoption, especially in the automotive industry. We utilized advanced technology, specifically LPKF Laser Welding technology, for engraving the prototype antennas. This suggests a high level of precision in the fabrication process, which is essential for maintaining the antennas' performance characteristics. The antennas are printed on an FR4 epoxy substrate with specific dielectric properties (dielectric constant ε_r = 4.3, loss tangent δ = 0.025) and a thickness of 1 mm. The low-profile design(1 mm height) of the antennas makes them suitable for integration into vehicles, where they can be discreetly mounted on the roof or inside the shark fin for V2V communication. Both antennas exhibit an omni-directional radiation pattern in the horizontal plane, which is desirable for V2X communication applications as it ensures effective communication regardless of the relative orientation of the vehicles involved. Overall, this thesis presents a comprehensive approach to design V2X communication antennas that address key considerations such as performance, cost, ease of fabrication, and suitability for integration into vehicles. This study has the potential to contribute significantly to the advancement of V2X communication technology.