Electronically REconfigurable Superstrate (ERES) Antenna

In this paper, we propose Electronically REconfigurable Superstrate (ERES) antenna design to provide simple, yet effective, beam steering capabilities to increase connectivity between wireless sensor network (WSN) nodes. The proposed design involves the superstrate layer concept, proposed originally to increase gain of microstrip patch antennas. By grouping parasitic patches within the designed superstrate layer and introducing a switching circuit with PIN diodes, it has been possible to create sections that can be steered using only 4 digital input output ports. Simulation results indicate, that, by shortening each section independently to the ground, it is possible to steer the main antenna beam electronically. In consequence, the proposed antenna can successfully be used to improve connectivity in WSN nodes relying on inexpensive transceivers and operating in demanding industrial conditions.

Acknowledgement: This paper is a result of the Productive4.0 project (https://productive40.eu) which has received funding from the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 737459. The Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey.

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