Frequency-Reconfigurable Low-Profile Circular Monopolar Patch Antenna

A novel frequency-reconfigurable antenna is presented based on a circular monopolar patch antenna. The antenna comprises of a center-fed circular patch surrounded by four sector-shaped patches. Eight varactor diodes are introduced to bridge the gaps between the circular patch and the sector-shaped patches. By changing the reverse bias voltage of the varactor diodes, the antenna can be switched in the operating frequency. A fully functional prototype is developed and tested, which exhibits a continuously tunable frequency band from 1.64 GHz to 2.12 GHz. The measured efficiency rises from about 45% to about 85% as the operating frequency increases from 1.64 GHz to 2.12 GHz. Stable monopole like radiation patterns are achieved at all operating frequencies. In addition, the antenna owns a low-profile structure (0.04 free-space wavelengths at 1.9 GHz). The frequency selective feature and stable radiation patterns make the antenna potentially suitable for future wireless communication systems, such as cognitive radio.