An application of active frequency selective surface to reconfigurable antenna technology

This paper illustrates the use of active frequency selective surfaces (FSS) in reconfigurable antennas. A patch-form dual-polarized tunable FSS is adapted for use as an active artifi-cial magnetic conductor (AMC). As with the tunable FSS, the ac-tive AMC offers independent tuning capability of the reflection phases for two polarisations of incident EM waves. By combining the AMC with a wideband coplanar waveguide fed monopole an-tenna, circularly polarisation (CP) capability is realized at any fre-quency over the 1.15-1.60GHz band. Furthermore, the CP state can be switched between left hand CP and right hand CP, by simply interchanging the capacitances of varactors controlling the reflection phases of the two orthogonal polarised waves. The an-tenna covers the frequency bands of all operational and in-prepa-ration satellite navigation systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Beidou and Galileo. polarization reconfigurable circular polar-ized (CP) antenna using active artificial ground (AG) structur

A Frequency and Polarization Reconfigurable Circularly Polarized Antenna Using Active EBG Structure for Satellite Navigation

This paper presents a broadband frequency tunable and polarization reconfigurable circularly polarized (CP) antenna, using a novel active electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure. The EBG surface employs identical metallic rectangular patch arrays on both sides of a thin substrate, but rotated by 90º from each other. The active bias circuits are also orthogonal for each surface, enabling the reflection phases for orthogonal incident waves to be tuned independently in a wide frequency range. By placing a wideband coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed monopole antenna above the EBG surface, and properly tuning the bias voltages across the varactors in each direction, CP waves can be generated at any desired frequency over a broad band. In accordance with simulations, the measured 3dB axial ratio (AR)bandwidth reaches 40% (1.03-1.54GHz), with good input matching(S11) and radiation patterns at six presented sampling frequencies. The polarization reconfigurability is verified by simulations and measurements, and shown to be capable of switching between left hand circular polarization (LHCP) and right hand circular polarization (RHCP)

Impedance Transformers

Non

Embedded antenna technology in smart polymeric composite structures

One of the fastest-growing uses of sheet moulding compound (SMC) material is in the area of manufacturing of vehicle body components for both structural and non-structural applications. This trend is accelerating, driven by original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and their need for lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles. In addition, over the last 20 years, the number of entertainment and communication systems in vehicles has also been expanding. The aim of this research is the development of a single wideband antenna that is capable of receiving all of the major services of interest. Taking this approach one step further and embedding such an antenna in a polymeric composite vehicle body panel would combine the benefits of reduced coefficient of drag, lower vehicle weight, reduced assembly complexity and shorter assembly time. These benefits would manifest themselves in the form of lower overall design and manufacturing vehicle cost for the OEMs and lower fuel consumption for customers. This thesis will deal with the development of such an antenna and the challenges faced in embedding it in a polymeric composite vehicle panel to such an extent that it becomes a seamless part of the vehicle body. This application required the development of a detailed understanding of the following three areas. Firstly, understanding of the interactions and effects of SMC material and automotive paint on antenna signal quality and performance through experiments and electromagnetic modelling (EM). Secondly, the development of the manufacturing process and material used to embed the antenna and its impact on the physical properties of the antenna through rheological testing, analytical modelling and experimentation. Lastly, the development of a wideband antenna capable of receiving pre-determined signals, through EM and field testing. The effects of paint application and presence of SMC resulted in a frequency shift of less than 1%. The experiments correlated well with the analytical model developed for compression moulding which incorporates a novel inclusion of the Maxwell’s model to predict the shear forces in the material flow within a confined space. A modular planar inverted conical antenna (PICA) was developed and optimised for the frequency range 700MHz – 9000MHz, which includes the commercial global positioning system (GPS) frequency. This development was then deployed as an embedded prototype in the deck lid of a test vehicle. Comparison against commercial GPS and mobile phone antennas was undertaken. This field test comparison showed that the developed PICA antenna performed better than the commercial antenna by up to 17%, especially in spaces devoid of multi-path signals

Advanced Radio Frequency Antennas for Modern Communication and Medical Systems

The main objective of this book is to present novel radio frequency (RF) antennas for 5G, IOT, and medical applications. The book is divided into four sections that present the main topics of radio frequency antennas. The rapid growth in development of cellular wireless communication systems over the last twenty years has resulted in most of world population owning smartphones, smart watches, I-pads, and other RF communication devices. Efficient compact wideband antennas are crucial in RF communication devices. This book presents information on planar antennas, cavity antennas, Vivaldi antennas, phased arrays, MIMO antennas, beamforming phased array reconfigurable Pabry-Perot cavity antennas, and time modulated linear array

Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure

A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium