Miniaturized Pattern-Reconfigurable Multimode Antennas With Continuous Beam-Steering Capability

In this article, two miniaturized multimode pattern-steering antennas for Internet of Things (IoT) applications are proposed. A compact multimode cavity functions both the hybrid and the radiator. A continuous 360° pattern scanning in the azimuth plane is controlled by the amplitude and phase of three excitation ports. The first design achieves the smallest size with TM02 and TM11 modes. In contrast, the second design has improved impedance bandwidth and mode isolation by introducing TM02 and high-order TM21 modes. Eight dipole chokes are attached to the cavity for surface current suppression. This approach eliminates the unwanted patch mode radiation. The antennas support multibeam applications with digital beamforming and analog beamforming with the 0°/180° phase switch and variable gain amplifier (VGA). The direction of arrival (DOA) can be estimated by directly measuring the amplitude and phase of the receiving signal. No full phase shifter and signal classification algorithm are required. The prototypes are fabricated and measured at 2.4 GHz. The diameters of the two antennas are
$0.4~\lambda 0$
and
$0.9~\lambda 0$
. The achieved antenna size is very miniature as shown by the literature comparison. The radiation and DOA performance is evaluated. The peak system efficiency is better than 60% after calibration and a good DOA estimation result is obtained.