Beam‐sweeping antenna with beamwidth reconfigurable response

Abstract

In this work, a simple and compact reconfigurable antenna, whose radiation direction and beamwidth can be manipulated, is proposed based on active frequency-selective surfaces (AFSSs). This design is completed by using a monopole antenna and six reflective AFSS screens, while its reconfigurable behavior is obtained by employing semiconductor switches. By applying different biasing voltages on the diode switches, the operating state of the AFSS screens can be configurated; therefore, the radiation direction and beamwidth of the monopole antenna can be controlled. From 1.8 to 2 GHz, the omnidirectional scanning response can be achieved at xoy-plane with the step of 60 and the maximum radiant efficiency is 96%. Furthermore, the 3 dB beamwidth can also be adjusted from 176 to 120 with the measured gains of 4.58-6.53 dB.The diameter of this structure is only 50 mm, which is a relatively small structural size for an omnidirectional beam-sweeping antenna. Finally, the proposed design is validated by numerical simulations and experimental measurements.