A beam-forming technique for leaky-wave antennas

Abstract

A beam-forming technique for leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) which can switch electronically in three different radiation patterns is developed in this letter. A simple two-terminal feeding microstrip-line LWA works as a radiating element. By varying the phase of the two injection signals from 0 to 180°, the emitting power from the LWA can produce three different radiation modes: the normal mode (one sharp beam), the difference mode (Δ), and the sum mode (Σ). The antenna displays large-bandwidth characteristics, and can be useful near crossroads for collision avoidance or in the radio location of vehicles. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 28: 108–110, 2001.