Reconfigurable Antenna Design and Analysis

Book excerpt: This exciting new book focuses on the analysis and design of reconfigurable antennas for modern wireless communications, sensing, and radar. It presents the definitions of basic antenna parameters, an overview of RF switches and explains how to characterize their insertion loss, isolation, and power handling issues. Basic reconfigurable antenna building blocks, such as dipoles, monopoles, patches and slots are described, followed by presentations on frequency reconfigurable antennas, pattern reconfigurable antennas, and basic scanning antenna arrays. Switch biasing in an electromagnetic environment is discussed, as well as simulation strategies of reconfigurable antennas, and MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) reconfigurable antennas. Performance characterization of reconfigurable antennas is also presented. The book provides information for the technical professional to design frequency reconfigurable, pattern reconfigurable, and MIMO antennas all relevant for modern wireless communication systems. Readers learn how to select switching devices, bias them properly, and understand their role in the overall reconfigurable antenna design. The book presents practical experimental implementation issues, including losses due to switches, materials, and EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) and shows how to address those.