A Pattern-Reconfigurable Dielectric Resonator Antenna Based on Switchable Directors

Abstract

A novel pattern-reconfigurable dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) with compact structure and high efficiency is proposed in this letter by introducing a pair of switchable directors. The switchable directors are arranged on both sides of an omnidirectional DRA, which operates in the TE01δ mode. Their directing function can be controlled by switching the <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> / <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">off</small> status of the p-i-n diodes so that one omnidirectional radiation pattern and two unidirectional endfire patterns are provided in the azimuthal plane. To verify this idea, a prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. Good agreement between the simulated and measured results can be observed. The peak gain in endfire status reaches 4.5 dBi and the front-to-back ratio is more than 12 dB. Meanwhile, the gain variation of the omnidirectional pattern in the azimuth plane is less than 2 dB, which shows good omnidirectional radiation performance.