3D beamsteering low complexity reconfigurable multilevel antenna

Abstract

A low-complexity reconfigurable antenna (RA) capable of steering its beam into nine different directions corresponding to ¿={-42°,0°,42°} in the ¿={25°,0°,155°} planes, and ¿=±25° in the ¿=90° plane, using a reduced number of switches is presented. The RA operating at 3.4-3.8 GHz consists of a central dipole element excited by a coaxial probe, surrounded by four switchable parasitic dipoles located at different height levels above a ground plane, which acts as either a reflector for the elements located at an upper layer or a director for the ones at a lower layer, improving the radiation characteristics of the antenna. Each parasitic dipole is fed with a p-i-n diode as a switch, which enables the activation of these elements providing the desired modes of operation. The presented RA was manufactured and measured showing results with a good agreement with the theoretical and numerical simulation.