This spherical monopole antenna with a tapered feeding line improves wireless data transmission quality. Antennas are used in a variety of devices, from surveillance to health monitoring systems. Although planar monopole antennas show good bandwidth performance, they suffer from loss of data (lossiness) in signals received and distortion in the signals transmitted. Available 3-D super wideband antennas (SWB) provide better omnidirectional signals, but are expensive to manufacture. Researchers at the University of Florida have developed a 3-dimensional wideband antenna capable of transmitting and receiving high quality data that is inexpensive to manufacture. This antenna can be applied in nearly any wireless data device or system, and is positioned to capture a large portion of the $31 billion telecommunications market.
Super wideband antenna with improved wireless signal transmission and reduced manufacturing costs
This spherical super wideband (SWB) monopole antenna consists of a conductive sphere as a main radiator, a tapered feeding line and a polyurethane mold. The diameter of the conductive sphere can be adjusted to determine the low frequency cutoff. The 3D tapered feeding line is fabricated using polyurethane and multidirectional UV lithography. Using the tapered feeding line between the coaxial and the sphere greatly enlarges the upper cutoff. By enlarging both the upper and lower cutoff ranges, UF researchers have created an SWB antenna that provides a better omnidirectional radiation pattern with low cost.