Design Of Conformal Reconfigurable Reflectarray Antenna

Reflectarray antennas have become a prominent topic in the field of antenna research due to their simple structure,high gain,broadband capabilities,high sensitivity,and stability.The introduction of conformal and reconfigurable technologies has brought significant opportunities and challenges to reflectarray research.Conformal reflectarray antennas can be seamless Ly attached to carrier surfaces without any adverse effects,expanding the array’s application range.Reconfigurable reflectarray antennas integrate functions,reducing the number of antenna types and minimizing electromagnetic interference between devices,reducing the cost of modern communication systems.However,the advancement of modern communication systems has increased their demand for high-performing,size-optimized antennas,necessitating higher gains,formability,broadband,and integration.To address these issues,this paper proposes a phase compensation formula for conformal splicing cylinders,which was verified using variable-size reflectarray elements,proving the feasibility of conformal splicing.Second Ly,based on the characteristics of a PIN diode,a 1-Bit reconfigurable reflectarray unit was simulated.Using the splicing method,a 16×18 1-Bit cylindrical reconfigurable reflectarray antenna loaded with PIN diode was simulated and measured,achieving a beam scanning range of ±40°.Final Ly,a reconfigurable reflector with continuous phase and phase coverage over 340° was designed by exploiting the capacitance variability of a varactor.A 16×18 cylindrical reconfigurable reflectarray antenna loaded with varactor was simulated,solving the problem of insufficient array gain and functionality caused by the phase discontinuity of PIN diodes,resulting in a higher gain effect,and achieving a ±50° beam scanning.The designs proposed in this paper for two conformal reconfigurable reflectarray antennas can serve as a reference for future conformal designs of reconfigurable array antennas.