Compact Pattern Reconfigurable Pixel Antenna With Diagonal Pixel Connections

An improved method to design compact pattern reconfigurable pixel antennas is described. The method introduces a new structure consisting of diagonal connections between pixels to enhance the pattern steering capability of the pixel antennas. These diagonal connections increase the number of independent degrees of freedom available in the design process which results in significantly improved performance when compared to designs with only horizontal and vertical connections between pixels. Furthermore, the diagonal structures enable the possible formation of new “cross-over” connections which provide a structure that allows currents to cross each other in the antenna geometry. Simulation and measurement results show that an antenna with$2\times $6 pixels can steer a beam over 150° in the azimuth plane and 300° beam steering range can be achieved with$3\times $6 pixels. The use of the diagonal elements increases gains by up to 3 dB and provides a much greater steering range when compared to pixel antenna design without the diagonal connections. Utilizing these diagonal pixel connections can also potentially enhance the performance of pixel antenna designs in a wide variety of other pixel antenna configurations.