Tri-band Reconfigurable Origami Helical Array

This paper presents a reconfigurable origami helical array that operates in three reconfigurable frequency bands centered at 2.07 GHz, 3 GHz and 4.45 GHz. Compared to previous work on origami QHA with foldable reflector, this helical array has a simplified feeding method with circular polarization (CP) achieved at all the 3 states (measured AR<;1.5 dB) by serially connecting a smaller helix on top of each uniform monofilar element. Also, one common reflector is applied at the 3 states to simplify the reconfiguration process with a smaller aperture area for each single element. Moreover, compared to the performance of the single element, this 7-element helical array has an increased simulated gain of 4.7 dB at state 1 at 2.07 GHz. Measured realized gains of 9.7 dB, 13 dB and 14.7 dB are achieved respectively at 2.07 GHz, 3 GHz and 4.45 GHz at 3 reconfigurable states. Therefore, this design can be applied in various scenarios, such as satellite radio and WiMax.