Origami Inspired Reconfigurable Antenna for Wireless Communication Systems

Abstract

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and experimental validation of an origami-inspired reconfigurable antenna. The proposed antenna can operate as a monopole or an inverted-L antenna, by changing its configuration. Doing so changes its operational frequency, principal radiation mode, and directivity. Measurements show that the antenna is able to change its resonance frequency from 750 MHz to 920 MHz---equivalent to 22.6\% frequency shift. Simulations are carried out to compare the radiation characteristics of the antenna (gain and radiation pattern) in both configurations. The results validate that the antenna has a reconfigurable bandwidth, which enables a better channel characterization for RF systems.