A reconfigurable antenna with three radiation patterns for portable multi-slice electromagnetic imaging systems

A novel technique that uses antenna reconfigurability to extend the capability of electromagnetic imaging systems is presented. To verify this technique, the design of a vertically reconfigurable antenna is described. The antenna has three controllable radiation patterns at different elevations. Thus, it can irradiate the imaged object at three vertical levels and thus enables generating three slices using only one antenna array. The designed antenna covers the band 1-2 GHz with unidirectional radiation. It has an average gain of 3.5 dBi and front-to-back ratio of 8 dB. The proposed imaging technique, using the designed antenna, enables a single array in the horizontal plane to acquire more information about the imaged object in the vertical plane. This approach endues the imaging system to attain rapid multi-slice imaging capability.