Directional and switched-beam antennas in wireless sensor networks are becoming increasingly appealing due to the possibility to reduce transmission power and consequently extend sensor node lifetime. In this work, a reconfigurable beam-steering antenna is proposed for Wireless Sensor Network applications in the ISM band (f = 2.4-2.4835 GHz). The proposed radiating structure consists of a vertical half-wavelength dipole antenna and eight microstrip antennas composed of a rectangular two-element patch antenna array. These microstrip antennas have a directional radiation pattern in the azimuth plane with a HPBW of nearly 60 degrees. A control circuit consisting of a transmission line, RF-switches and a 4: 16 multiplexer has been designed in order to dynamically switch among nine radiation patterns, eight directional and one omnidirectional. Simulations and experimental results, referred to a low-cost realization on a FR4 substrate with a thickness of 1.6 mm, demonstrate appreciable performance.
Switched-beam antenna for wireless sensor network nodes
CATARINUCCI, Luca;GUGLIELMI, SERGIO;PATRONO, Luigi;TARRICONE, Luciano
2013-01-01
Abstract
Directional and switched-beam antennas in wireless sensor networks are becoming increasingly appealing due to the possibility to reduce transmission power and consequently extend sensor node lifetime. In this work, a reconfigurable beam-steering antenna is proposed for Wireless Sensor Network applications in the ISM band (f = 2.4-2.4835 GHz). The proposed radiating structure consists of a vertical half-wavelength dipole antenna and eight microstrip antennas composed of a rectangular two-element patch antenna array. These microstrip antennas have a directional radiation pattern in the azimuth plane with a HPBW of nearly 60 degrees. A control circuit consisting of a transmission line, RF-switches and a 4: 16 multiplexer has been designed in order to dynamically switch among nine radiation patterns, eight directional and one omnidirectional. Simulations and experimental results, referred to a low-cost realization on a FR4 substrate with a thickness of 1.6 mm, demonstrate appreciable performance.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
