A Multiband Slot Antenna for GPS/WiMAX/WLAN Systems

The design of a four-band slot antenna for the global positioning system (GPS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and wireless area network (WLAN) is presented. The antenna consists of a rectangular slot with an area of 0.37λ_g × 0.14λ_g = 48 × 18 mm² (where λ_g is the guide wavelength), a T-shaped feed patch, an inverted T-shaped stub, and two E-shaped stubs to generate four frequency bands. The radiating portion and total size of the antenna are less than those of the tri-band antennas studied in literature. Parametric study on the parameters for setting the four frequency bands is presented and hence the methodology of using the design for other frequency bands is proposed. The multiband slot antenna is studied and designed using computer simulation. For verification of simulation results, the antenna is fabricated and measured. The simulated and measured return losses, radiation patterns, realized peak gains, and efficiencies of the antenna are presented. Measured results show that the antenna can be designed to cover the frequency bands from 1.575 to 1.665 GHz for the GPS system, 2.4-2.545 GHz for the IEEE 802.11b&g WLAN systems, 3.27- 3.97 GHz for the WiMAX system, and 5.17-5.93 GHz for the IEEE 802.11a WLAN system. The effects of the feeding cable used in measurement and of the cover are also investigated.