Printed array antenna with an elephant trunk shape radiating patch for Bluetooth and WLAN applications

Purpose This purpose of this study is to present a novel four-element array antenna in combination with a modified Wilkinson power divider feeding network. Design/methodology/approach The two covering bands of this planar array antenna are achieved by an Elephant trunk shape (ETS) radiating element; therefore, two frequency bands for Bluetooth (2.4 GHz) and the wireless local area network (WLAN) band (5.15-5.825 GHz) are obtained. Findings An improved design of the power divider with curved corners rather than the sharp edges and certain new modifications in the length of matching stubs are implemented. Originality/value This paper describes an improved four-way Wilkinson power divider with excellent loss of insertion and adequate return loss for all ports and good isolation performance within two frequency bands (2.4 and 5.5 GHz) and when loaded with array components; the modified power divider complies with the design requirements. To comprehend its behavior, numerical and experimental results are provided. The simulated and measured results indicate a proper bandwidth coverage of the suggested antenna, stable radiation patterns and high gain.