A Sliding Feeding Mechanism for a Bi-Stable Reconfigurable Quadrifilar Helix Antenna

This paper discusses the integration of a sliding feeding mechanism designed specifically to ensure the reconfiguration of a bi-stable Quadrifilar Helix Antenna (QHA). The feeding mechanism is integrated within the ground plane of the QHA and slides with the changes in its topology. The QHA modifies its structure and deployment stages in a bi-stable fashion to radiate at 1 GHz. In one configuration, the QHA exhibits almost monopole-like radiation with linear polarization for terrestrial point-to-point communication. While in another configuration, the QHA exhibits circular polarization with a directional pattern making it suitable for satellite communications. The antenna is proposed to be deployed in areas that lack infrastructure and necessitate no power or actuation to ensure reconfiguration.