A Microstrip Patch Electronically Steerable Parasitic Array Radiator (ESPAR) Antenna With Reactance-Tuned Coupling and Maintained Resonance

A new approach to parasitic phased-array antennas is presented. A symmetric two-layer, single-input inexpensive three-element array at 1-GHz employing varactors as tuning mechanisms are designed, fabricated, and measured. The driven element is mutually coupled to two parasitic elements in the H-plane. The varactors are used to control the mutual coupling and beam scanning and to maintain resonance at 1 GHz. A continuous scanning range of -15 + 15° is measured with maintained impedance matching and radiation pattern integrity. The low cost of diode varactors, used in place of expensive phase shifters, allows for more economic fabrication. This is advantageous to applications in point-to-point communication systems, weather, and target tracking radar systems.

[1]  Mohammod Ali,et al.  Elevation Plane Beam Scanning of a Novel Parasitic Array Radiator Antenna for 1900 MHz Mobile Handheld Terminals , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[2]  W. Chappell,et al.  A planar parasitic array antenna for tunable radiation pattern , 2009, 2009 IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium.

[3]  X. Gong,et al.  A Low-Cost Patch Antenna Phased Array With Analog Beam Steering Using Mutual Coupling and Reactive Loading , 2008, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[4]  S. Safavi-Naeini,et al.  The Effects of Imbalanced Phase Shifters Loss on Phased Array Gain , 2008, IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters.

[5]  R. Schlub,et al.  Dielectric embedded ESPAR (DE-ESPAR) antenna array for wireless communications , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[6]  T. Ohira,et al.  Electrically steerable passive array radiator (ESPAR) antennas , 2005, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine.

[7]  R. Schlub,et al.  Switched parasitic antenna on a finite ground plane with conductive sleeve , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

[8]  R. Schlub,et al.  Seven-element ground skirt monopole ESPAR antenna design from a genetic algorithm and the finite element method , 2003 .

[9]  D.V. Thiel,et al.  Using mutual coupling to calculate the radiation pattern for parasitic patch antennas , 2003, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium. Digest. Held in conjunction with: USNC/CNC/URSI North American Radio Sci. Meeting (Cat. No.03CH37450).

[10]  A. Mortazawi,et al.  An L-band tunable microstrip antenna using multiple varactors , 2003, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium. Digest. Held in conjunction with: USNC/CNC/URSI North American Radio Sci. Meeting (Cat. No.03CH37450).

[11]  Robert A. York,et al.  Distributed analog phase shifters with low insertion loss , 1999 .

[12]  Steven Gregory O'keefe,et al.  Electronic beam steering using switched parasitic patch elements , 1997 .

[13]  G. V. Trunk,et al.  Two low-cost phased arrays , 1996, Proceedings of International Symposium on Phased Array Systems and Technology.

[14]  David V. Thiel,et al.  Electronically steerable Yagi-Uda microstrip patch antenna array , 1995, IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium. 1995 Digest.

[15]  E. Van Lil,et al.  Transmission line model for mutual coupling between microstrip antennas , 1984 .

[16]  H. Haus.  Waves and fields in optoelectronics , 1983 .

[17]  D. Pozar.  Input impedance and mutual coupling of rectangular microstrip antennas , 1982 .

[18]  Constantine A. Balanis,et al.  Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design , 1982 .

[19]  K. Carver,et al.  Measured mutual coupling between microstrip antennas , 1981 .

[20]  Roger F. Harrington,et al.  Reactively controlled directive arrays , 1978 .