Generalized Odd-Even Mode Theory and Mode Synthesis Antenna Design Approach

In this article,studies on the multimode excitation problem of waveguides and antennas,the balance/unbalance mech-anism and the balanced feeding techniques in dipole antenna systems are first briefly historically reviewed.In this context,general-ized odd-even mode theory is advanced to quantitatively and approximately describe the mutual coupling effect between a feed line and an antenna.As is mathematically deduced and demonstrated,the modal parity mismatch between the feed line and the antenna should ultimately dominate the unbalance phenomenon in antenna systems.Thus,an elegant,closed-form formula is derived to ap-proximately calculate the“unbalance degree”of a straight dipole off-center fed by a symmetric twin-wire line.Design approaches for the simplest,linear,1-D multimode resonant antennas are introduced.Moreover,the“falling tone excitation”law gauged based on prototype dipoles is revealed and used to develop a mode synthesis design approach for microstrip patch antennas(MPAs)and 2-D sectorial electric dipole antennas.Design examples with distinctive radiation performance are presented and discussed.Finally,possible development trends of multimode resonant antennas are prospected.