Feasibility Study of an Antenna with Electronically Reconfigurable Aperture

电控天线是未来通信系统的重要组成部分。例如，移动通信中未来的空间多路复用方法需要灵活的天线，这使得有可能永久地确保移动站和基站之间的连接。具有电子可控波束控制的群天线是上述应用的重要组成部分。与机械波束控制天线相比，它们的优点是设计得更轻、更紧凑，而且可以很容易地集成。所有群天线的一个问题是远离宽边的增益减小。这是由单个天线单元的相位分配、几何布置和方向特性所给出的各个天线单元的场的叠加造成的。在这个研究项目中，首次研究了一种天线概念，在这种概念中，辐射方向可以在不使用群天线或反射阵列的情况下进行调整。这一想法是基于具有可重构光圈的平行板透镜。电子控制的基础是液晶，在弯曲的平行板环境中通过力士利容器使用液晶，并通过偏置网络进行控制。这种天线的可行性将通过V波段的演示器进行评估。

Electronically controllable antennas are an important component for future communications systems. For example, agile antennas are required for future space multiplexing methods in mobile communications, which makes it possible to permanently ensure a connection between a mobile station and a base station. Group antennas with electronically controllable beam steering are an important component for the above mentioned applications. Compared to antennas with mechanical beam steering, they have the advantage of a considerably lighter and more compact design and can be easily integrated. A problem with all group antennas is the reduction of the gain away from broadside. This is caused by the superimposition of the fields of the individual antenna elements, which is given by the phase assignment, the geometrical arrangement and the directional characteristics of the individual antenna elements. In this research project, an antenna concept is being investigated for the first time, in which the radiation direction can be adjusted without using a group antenna or a reflectarray. The idea is based on a parallel plate lens with reconfigurable aperture. The basis for the electronic control are liquid crystals, which are used by means of a Rexolite container in a curved parallel plate environment and are controlled with a biasing network. The feasibility of such an antenna is to be evaluated with a demonstrator in the V-band.