A Reconfigurable Antenna Driven by Ion Wind Generator

This paper presents a novel design of reconfigurable antenna with adjustable structure and radiation characteristics. Compared to fixed structure bifilar helix antenna, the work proposes a design with variable radiator structure. It is achieved through a variable length foldable dielectric cylinder driven by an ion wind generator, and the metal radiation arm of the bifilar helix antenna is attached on the surface of the dielectric cylinder. The ion wind generator is composed of a high-voltage transformer and a pair of metal discharge rings placed behind the dielectric cylinder structure. By changing the discharge voltage, the flow speed of the ion wind can be tuning. In this way, the foldable dielectric cylinder can explode and shrink to achieve antenna adjustment. In this paper, the antenna system has been verified through electromagnetic simulation and experiment. This design can be used for applications such as IoT antennas, satellite communication, and drone signal detection.