A frequency reconfigurable antenna with consistent radiation characteristics

Abstract

A planar frequency reconfigurable antenna is presented. The proposed antenna is derived from a rectangular microstrip patch antenna and it consists of three parasitic patches near to radiating edge of the main radiator. PIN diodes are incorporated to provide necessary electrical connectivity between the main radiator and the parasitic patches. Operating frequency of the antenna can be tuned to seven different frequency bands by setting different combinations of the PIN diodes status. The antenna is studied and designed using computer simulation tool and offers frequency reconfigurability over a frequency range of ∼ 1.0 GHz (5.05 GHz–5.98 GHz). The antenna also shows consistent radiation characteristics with an average gain of 3.32 dB (3.06 dB–3.66 dB) and percentage efficiency 53.05 % (51.62 %–59.36 %) at all the reconfigured frequencies.