Wideband Pattern-and Polarization-Reconfigurable Antenna Based on Bistable Composite Cylindrical Shells

Abstract

This paper presents a wideband pattern-and polarization-reconfigurable antenna based on bistable composite cylindrical shells. This antenna, which includes seven radiating metal strips, uses bistable anti-symmetric glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite cylindrical shells as the substrate to achieve reconfigurability without the need for redundant structures or semiconductor devices. This bistable GFRP substrate has two stable cylindrical configurations: extended structure and coiled-up structure. Therefore, by transforming the configuration, the radiation patterns of the proposed antenna are changed, and simultaneously, the polarization is switched between left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) and right-handed circular polarization (RHCP). A prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and measured. The measured results indicate that the antenna can operate in the frequency range from 2.3 to 3 GHz in the two configurations. The proposed antenna can be utilized as the payload of a satellite.