patch antenna

A patch antenna is a narrowband, wide-beam antenna fabricated by etching the antenna element pattern in metal trace bonded to an insulating dielectric substrate, such as a printed circuit board, with a continuous metal layer bonded to the opposite side of the substrate which forms a ground plane.

What is a patch antenna used for?

The patch antenna is mainly practical at microwave frequencies, at which wavelengths are short enough that the patches are conveniently small. It is widely used in portable wireless devices because of the ease of fabricating it on printed circuit boards.

The patch antenna is mainly practical at microwave frequencies, at which wavelengths are short enough that the patches are conveniently small. It is widely used in portable wireless devices because of the ease of fabricating it on printed circuit boards.

The main disadvantage of these antennas is their relatively large size compared to other types of antennas. For example, some patch antennas are approximately half a wavelength on each side. The polarization can be either circular or linear depending on the design of the patch.

What is a GNSS patch antenna?

The GNSS Patch Antenna is a compact, low mass active antenna, designed for GPS-L1. This passive antenna is suitable for providing CubeSat platforms with precise positioning and is compatible with the ISIS structures.

How does a GPS patch antenna work?

The patch is mounted on a PCB; underneath the PCB is the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) which amplifies the GPS signal before being transmitted through the coaxial cable and connector to the receiver.