Mechanically reconfigurable array with pattern and polarization diversity

A 2 x 2 array with reconfigurable pattern and polarization is presented. The element of the array is a circularly polarized (CP) antenna, which is mainly composed of a monopole slot, a dipole, and a cylindrical copper tube. By manually moving the dipole arms, the element can be operated at right-handed and left-handed circular polarization states; besides, each CP element can be electrically rotated with a servo motor, whereby the phase of its radiated fields is varied with rotation angle. Based on such a mechanically reconfigurable element, the resultant array at each CP state can be operated in different radiation modes, including broadside mode, conical mode, and steerable beam mode. In addition, the array operated in the broadside mode can also provide a linearly polarized radiation with 360 degrees polarization scanning. Simulations for typical radiation modes of the proposed array are performed, and they are validated with experiments.