Low cost beam switchable reflectarray antenna

This paper presents a methodology for designing low cost beam switchable reflectarray antenna. An electronically beam steering antenna, which has a small section, is used to feed a printed reflectarray. Different functional regions were allocated on the printed reflectarray. By controlling the beam from the feed and illuminating each functional region separately, the beam from the reflectarray can be steered. To reduce the size of the feeding antenna, an folded dipole electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) antenna is designed. Compared with standard half-wavelength dipole antenna, the height of the folded dipole ESPAR antenna has been reduced by 50%. The beam from the folded dipole ESPAR antenna can be steered from - 50° to + 50°electronically. To validate this method, a prototype that can switch between three different beams has been constructed.