The Effect of Mutual Coupling on the Correlation of Spatial Diversity Schemes using Conformal Antennas

Spatial diversity schemes using conformal antennas are examined. The effect of mutual coupling on the correlation is investigated for the case of printed antennas on a cylindrical substrate. First, the formulation to include the mutual coupling on the correlation is presented. The mutual coupling for antennas on a cylindrical substrate is derived using an improved spectral domain approach. Results are presented as a function of the cylinder radius for three distinct cases of coupling. The correlation is evaluated for two models of wave angular distribution, the Clarke and the geometrically based simple bounce (GBSB) model. Parametric studies with respect to the antenna separation are also given.