Pattern-Reconfigurable, Flexible, Wideband, Directive, Electrically Small Near-Field Resonant Parasitic Antenna

A pattern-reconfigurable, flexible, wideband, directive, electrically small near-field resonant parasitic (NFRP) antenna is presented. The antenna consists of a pair of Egyptian axe dipole NFRP elements, together with a pair of shaped metallic strips that act as the driven element and are fed by a coaxial cable. These NFRP and driven elements are designed to achieve compactness. Two pairs of p-i-n diodes are integrated into the driven element to enable the pattern reconfigurability. The antenna has two switchable directive endfire states, each pointed in direct opposition to the other. Examples of the evolution of the antenna are used to illustrate its operating principles. A prototype of the optimized design operating in a frequency range centered at 1.8 GHz was fabricated and measured. The simulation and experimental results are in good agreement. The antenna exhibits a wide 13.1% impedance bandwidth and a 4.42 dBi peak realized gain in both pattern-reconfigurable states while maintaining its electrically small size: ka ∼ 0.94. The flexibility of this antenna is demonstrated under different bending conditions by mounting it on cylinders with several different radii, and the results confirm that its performance characteristics are maintained under all of them.