Reconfigurable Antenna Arrays for Integrated Space and Terrestrial Networks

Integrated space and terrestrial networks are expected to be a key technology for beyond 5G communications systems. One main challenge posed for the antennas is the array performance deterioration caused by orientation changes of various elements mounted to conformal platforms. To overcome this challenge, a reconfigurable antenna element that can switch among four linear polarizations is reported and applied to a conformal array. An efficient array synthesis algorithm is utilized to attain high-gain, low-sidelobes, and low-cross-polarization characteristics. A linear conformal array is presented to verify the effectiveness of the developed algorithm.