New Proximity Coupled Feeding Method for Reconfigurable Circularly Polarized Microstrip Ring Antennas

A new simple single-feed method for circularly polarized ring antennas has been investigated. Experimental and theoretical investigation show that either right-handed (RH) or left-handed (LP) circular polarization (CP) can be easily achieved by selecting one of the two input ports of the antennas. The proposed U-shaped microstrip feed line excites the fundamental ${rm TM}_{11}$ mode of the ring radiating elements through proximity coupling along the semi-annular section of the line. The induced rotating surface currents on the ring radiators contribute to the circular polarization behavior of the antennas. Two types of rings have been investigated. Square ring prototypes operate at 2.7 GHz have been designed, fabricated and evaluated to show the basic operating principles of the antennas, while annular ring radiating elements operate at 2.255 GHz are realized to demonstrate the reconfigurable capability of the new feeding structure. In the reconfigurable design, a high isolation RF switch is used to direct the input signal between the two input ports. With suitable biasing arrangement of the RF switch, the antenna is capable to radiate at either types of circular polarization. The reconfigurable design is fed by a single microstrip line. Return losses, axial ratios, gains and radiation patterns of the prototype antennas have been measured for verifications. A parametric study of the new feeding structures with a square ring has been carried out for important design guidelines.