Small pixelled antenna with MEMS-Reconfigurable radiation pattern

To deliver robust and reliable communications, there has recently been significant interest in developing a single Multifunctional Reconfigurable Antenna (MRA) providing pattern reconfigurability with an emphasis on beam tilting that improves wireless communication capacity and bit error rates [1]. The design of an MRA with adaptive radiation pattern for mobile terminals is complex because of the usual tight constrains in the device maximum size. These restrictions typically prevent the use of multiple-antenna solutions such as phase arrays. Radiation pattern reconfigurability is usually achieved by the activation or deactivation of parasitic elements [2]. However, in order to preserve the antenna matching, it is typically required that a certain distance (of the order of one wavelength) between the active and parasitic parts is kept, which often exceeds the maximum allowed antenna size.