Multi-band pattern reconfigurable Yagi-Uda antenna

Abstract

In this study, novel designs of single-band and tri-band pattern reconfigurable antennas are proposed. The design of single-band pattern reconfigurable antenna is accomplished by the use of varactor diodes with the parasitic elements placed on both sides of the driven conventional printed dipole antenna. By tuning the capacitance of varactor, the antenna operates in four different configurations of radiation pattern which include bi-directional end-fire, broadside, and uni-directional end-fire radiation patterns. The tri-band pattern reconfigurable antenna design is achieved by the use of parasitic elements on both sides of a tri-band driven dipole antenna. Dual-band LC resonators are used as loading elements along the arms of printed dipole to get two lower order modes in addition to the reference dipole mode, resulting in a triband operation of the driven element. The electrical lengths of the parasitic elements with respect to the tri-band driven element are controlled by suitably embedding varactor and PIN diodes with them. The proposed tri-band antenna operates in ten different configurations of radiation patterns in the three operating bands. Fully functional prototypes of single-band and tri-band pattern reconfigurable antennas along with the DC bias networks have been fabricated to validate the results obtained in simulation.