Microstrip Magnetic Dipole Yagi Array Antenna With Endfire Radiation and Vertical Polarization

A new microstrip Yagi array antenna with endfire radiation and vertical polarization is proposed. The Yagi antenna has a low profile, a wide bandwidth and a high gain. Each element of the Yagi array is based on a new microstrip antenna that has one edge opened and the other three edges shorted, working as a “magnetic dipole antenna”. As opposed to previous microstrip Yagi array antennas, the proposed Yagi antenna could produce a beam radiating at exactly endfire for infinite ground plane, with vertical polarization in the horizontal plane. A coupling microstrip line is introduced between the driven element and the first director element to strengthen the coupling between them, and therefore the front-to-back ratio and bandwidth of the array can be improved. The endfire gain can be enhanced as the number of the director elements increases, in either case where the array has an infinite or a finite ground plane.