Reconfigurable Antenna With Elevation and Azimuth Beam Switching

A reconfigurable microstrip antenna is proposed for low-cost adaptive beam-switching applications. A small patch-slot ring structure is used as the radiating element where an asymmetrical arrangement of p-i-n diodes is employed to switch the pattern in four directions. The antenna provides pattern switching of 65° and 45° in its fundamental mode for the elevation and azimuth planes, respectively. By maintaining the resonant frequency and beamwidth as relatively constant, beam switching is realized using a single feed point.