Get Started with Antenna Toolbox

Design, analyze, and visualize antenna elements and antenna arrays

Antenna Toolbox™ provides functions and apps for the design, analysis, and visualization of antenna elements and arrays. You can design standalone antennas and build arrays of antennas using predefined elements with parameterized geometry, arbitrary planar structures, or custom 3D structures described with STL files.

Antenna Toolbox uses electromagnetic solvers, including the method of moments (MoM), to compute impedance, current distribution, efficiency, and near-field and far-field radiation patterns. To improve the antenna design, you can use manual methods or use the optimization methods provided in the toolbox. Antenna geometry and analysis results can be visualized in 2D and 3D. The toolbox lets you integrate antenna array patterns into wireless systems for simulating beamforming and beam steering algorithms. The impedance analysis results can be used to design matching networks for integration with the RF front-end. You can install the antennas on large platforms such as vehicles or aircraft and analyze the effects of the structure on antenna performance. You can import STL and Gerber files to analyze a pre-existing structure or export them to share or manufacture your design. A site viewer enables you to visualize antenna coverage on a 3D terrain map using a variety of propagation models, including ray tracing.

Tutorials

Apps

Design and Analysis Using Antenna Designer App

This example shows how to construct, visualize, and analyze antenna elements using the Antenna Designer App.

Design and Analysis Using Antenna Array Designer App

Antenna array designer app workflow tutorial.

Design and Analysis Using PCB Antenna Designer App

This four-part tutorial shows how to design, validate, analyze, and export a 1-by-2 H-notch linear antenna array resonating at 4.65 GHz using the PCB Antenna Designer app.

STEP 1: Define PCB Antenna Layers
STEP 2: Design H-Notch Patch Unit Element
STEP 3: Analyze H-Notch Unit Element
STEP 4: Design, Analyze, and Export 1-by-2 H-Notch Linear Array

Analysis and Visualization

Infinite Array Analysis

This example demonstrates the use of infinite array analysis to model the behavior of a single element - the unit cell embedded in the array[1] - [3].

RF Propagation and Visualization

Visualize coverage maps, SINR maps, and propagation paths in outdoor and indoor environments.

Interact with Polar Plot

This example shows how to interact with a polar plot created using polarpattern class.

Antenna Concepts

Fundamental Antenna Analysis

Port Analysis

Input impedance, resonance, return loss, reflection coefficient, bandwidth.

Surface Analysis

Charge distribution, current distribution

Field Analysis

Radiation pattern, E-H fields, beamwidth, polarization, axial ratio

Far-field Terminologies

Antenna gain, directivity and realized gain.

Fundamental Array Analysis

Mutual Coupling

Active or scan impedance, array factor and pattern multiplication, coupling matrix, isolated or embedded element pattern.

Beamforming

Side lobe control, beam scanning.

Grating Lobes

Grating lobes are the maxima of the main beam, as predicted by the pattern multiplication theorem.

Near- and Far-Field Visualization

Antenna Far-Field Visualization

This example shows how to visualize the far fields for antennas and antenna arrays.

Antenna Near-Field Visualization

This example shows how to calculate and visualize the near-fields for antennas.

Solvers

Method of Moments Solver for Metal Structures

Method of Moments computation technique for metal antennas.

Method of Moments Solver for Metal and Dielectric Structures

Method of Moments computation technique for metal and dielectric antennas.

Hybrid MoM-PO Method for Metal Antennas with Large Scatterers

Hybrid method of moments (MoM) and physical optics (PO) computational technique in Antenna Toolbox allows you to model antennas near large scatterers such as parabolic reflectors.

Physical Optics Solver

Physical optics (PO) solver in Antenna Toolbox allows you to solve for the RCS of an object.

Feed Model

Antenna Toolbox feed model.

Fast Multipole Method for Large Structures

Fast Multipole Method (FMM) for analysis of large structures.

Antenna Modeling

Antenna Classification

Classify antennas based on radiation pattern or feeding mechanism

Antenna Toolbox Coordinate System

Rectangular and spherical coordinate system

Antenna Toolbox Limitations

Features not supported

Antenna Radiation Patterns

Default radiation patterns of antennas and arrays

Featured Examples

Design and Analysis Using Antenna Designer App

Construct, visualize, and analyze antenna elements using the Antenna Designer App.

Open Live Script

Port Analysis of Antenna

Quantifies terminal antenna parameters, with regard to the antenna port. The antenna is a one-port network. The antenna port is a physical location on the antenna where an RF source is connected to it. The terminal port parameters supported in Antenna Toolbox™ are

Open Live Script

Current Visualization on Antenna Surface

Visualize surface currents on the half- wavelength dipole and how to observe the individual current components. Finally, it shows how to interact with the colorbar to change its dynamic range to better visualize the surface currents.

Open Script

Antenna Far-Field Visualization

Visualize the far fields for antennas and antenna arrays. Radiation patterns can be plotted in Antenna Toolbox™ using the pattern function. The example explains different options available in the pattern function.

Open Live Script

Antenna Near-Field Visualization

Calculate and visualize the near-fields for antennas. Near fields can be plotted in Antenna Toolbox™ using the EHfields function. This function can also be used to calculate and plot the near-fields for antenna arrays.In the near field region, the electric and magnetic fields can exist independently of each other, and one type of field can dominate the other.

Open Live Script

Plane Wave Excitation - Scattering Solution

Explains how to excite an antenna using a plane wave. The antenna in this case can be thought of as a receiving antenna. A receiving antenna may be viewed as any metal object that scatters an incident electromagnetic field. As a result of scattering an electric current appears on the antenna's surface. The current in turn creates a corresponding electric field. This produces a voltage difference across the feed. This voltage constitutes the received signal. [1]

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Antenna Modeling and Analysis

Construct, visualize and analyze the antenna elements in the Antenna Toolbox.

Open Live Script

Array Modeling and Analysis

Construct, visualize, and analyze an antenna array from the Antenna Toolbox.

Open Live Script

Loading Using Lumped Elements

Load an antenna using a lumpedElement. You can load an antenna to make it smaller, enable matching at the feedline, or to make antennas larger to obtain higher performance. The example below demonstrates creating a simple matching network by adding a lumped load at the feed.

Open Live Script