Radiation pattern and frequency reconfigurable antenna designs

Limited bandwidths in the sub-6 GHz spectrum and emerging congestion problems make it inevitable to use high frequencies in new generation communication systems. Unused bandwidths in the millimeterwave spectrum can be used to increase system capacity and achieve higher data transmission rates. Antennas to be used in communication systems must have high bandwidth to offer high data transmission rates, and high gain to overcome the attenuation that may occur. In addition, antennas are expected to be compact, uncomplicated, convenient for mass production and cost-effective. This study presents several antenna designs operating in MMW band (26.5 GHz - 40 GHz) recommended by communication authorities for new generation communication systems. Accordingly, six frequency reconfigurable antenna designs with a radiation pattern reconfigurable antenna providing fifteen different radiation patterns are presented in this study. These antennas are also intended to be used for K-band radar applications based on their reconfiguration properties. Results showed that spatial diversity was improved by deploying the frequency in a reconfigurable antenna structure multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) topology.