Compact Beam-Steered Resonant-Cavity Antenna Using Near-Field Phase Transformation

The paper uses a novel near-field phase transformation beam-steering method to steer the electromagnetic energy beam of compact resonant-cavity antennas (RCAs). The method is unconventional but versatile and can be used with a variety of low-to-medium gain antennas. The use of the method for a compact RCA validates its compatibility with low-gain antennas. The far-field results predicted by numerical simulations indicate that the antenna system can scan a beam having a peak directivity of 15 dBi into a conical region having an apex angle of 70°, without dropping peak directivity more than 3dB from the maximum value. This compact beam-steering antenna system is cheaper than active antenna arrays and convenient to operate than mechanically steered reflectors. The maximum height of the system is 1.3λ0, which means that the antenna can be fixed inside a cylindrical cavity and its beam direction can be remotely controlled. Due to the low-cost and elegant design of the front-end antenna, a wireless backhaul mesh network can be established, which can be dynamically adjusted to improve quality of service.