Abstract:
Objectives To address the issues of insufficient communication capacity, weak anti-interference capability, and low space utilization in ship communications, a flexible millimeter-wave multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna suitable for 5G communication was designed. Methods The antenna elements were orthogonally arranged on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, with an overall size of 68mm×68mm×0.12mm. By employing coplanar waveguide (CPW) feeding technology, the antenna successfully covered the key frequency range of 5G millimeter-wave communication. The antenna prototype was fabricated using screen-printed copper conductive paste, exhibiting excellent flexibility and mechanical stability. Results Simulation and test results showed that the antenna operated in the frequency band of 24~32.63GHz, with an isolation level below -36dB, an envelope correlation coefficient of less than 0.00015, and a diversity gain greater than 9.999dB. Conclusions The proposed antenna leverages the high bandwidth characteristics of the millimeter-wave frequency band and the multi-stream transmission capability of MIMO technology, significantly enhancing communication performance. Its flexible design facilitates flexible deployment in complex ship environments, optimizing signal coverage and space utilization, and providing an efficient and reliable solution for ship communication systems.