A Pattern Reconfigurable Microstrip Dipole Antenna with PRS Gain Enhancement

This paper investigates a low complexity high gain structure that can switch the radiation pattern from boresight to almost endfire direction. The principles of Fabry Perot, reconfigurable parasitic reflectors and partially reflective surfaces are combined to achieve the pattern reconfigurability. Two different Fabry-Perot cavity spacings are assessed and a maximum gain of 18.8 dBi is achieved at boresight which can be reduced by over 12dB with the use of PIN diode switches. Radiation towards the endfire directions has a maximum gain of 7.1dBi which can be reduced by almost 17dB with the use of the PIN diode switches. The paper presents numerical simulations of the proposed antennas.