A Novel Planar Parasitic Array Antenna With Reconfigurable Azimuth Pattern

This letter presents a novel planar parasitic array antenna. The proposed antenna, which covers 5.2-GHz WLAN frequency band, can provide reconfigurable azimuth pattern with the beamwidth of about 60
^°
, while the elevation pattern has a stable beamwidth of about 155
^°
. Compared to conventional switched array antennas, this antenna has simple structure and low profile. By maintaining the beamwidth and resonant frequency as relatively constant, the reconfigurable azimuth pattern is realized by controlling the states of p-i-n diodes. The practical antenna with control circuit is fabricated and measured. Simulated and measured results are in a good agreement.