Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Nickel–titanium shape memory alloys are employed to develop a multiband radio frequency antenna. Switches made from Ni–Ti electronically connect together a planar patch antenna arrangement, creating several electrical signal pathways that enable reconfiguration via resonance shifting. The changes in the antenna geometry, induced by the switches, create different working frequencies. The switches open and close due to an induced phase change from martensite to austenite via resistive heating from a separate electric circuit. A patch antenna was fabricated and then measured for S₁₁ reflection coefficient, antenna gain, and radiation pattern at different configurations. The results show that the working frequency of the patch antenna arrangement is tunable from 2.25 to 2.43 GHz depending on the antenna geometry, while the antenna always maintains a high gain. The experimental results match well with simulations, indicating the potential for simulated design of future applications and geometries through shape memory actuators.

Keywords

Shape memory alloys radio frequency antennas patch antenna Ni–Ti

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anagnostou

Zheng

Chryssomallis

. (2006) Design, fabrication and measurements of an RF-MEMS-based self-similar reconfigurable antenna. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 54(2): 422–432.

Arcioni

Conciauro

Perregrini

. (2007) Design of MEMS reconfigurable patch antennas via a planar model approach. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 5191–5194.

Balanis

(2005) Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience.

Balanis

(2008) Modern Antenna Handbook. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience.

Bernhard

(2007) Reconfigurable Antennas. Synthesis Lectures on Antennas 2(1):1–66.

Bernhard

Kiely

Washington

(2001) A smart mechanically actuated two-layer electromagnetically coupled microstrip antenna with variable frequency, bandwidth, and antenna gain. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 49(4): 597–601.

Bhartia

Bahl

(1982) Frequency agile microstrip antennas. Microwave Journal 25: 67–70.

Davis

(2003) Handbook of Materials for Medical Devices. OH: ASM International. Materials Park.

Ghosh

Parui

(2010) Design, analysis and optimization of a slotted microstrip patch antenna array at frequency 5.25 GHz for WLAN-SDMA system. International Journal on Electrical Engineering and Informatics 2(2): 102–112.

10.

Kai

Chengin

(2002) Design and control of novel embedded SMA actuators. Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering 2(2): 513–520.

11.

Kim

Jung

Lee

(2011) Reconfigurable beam steering antenna using double loops. Electronics Letters 47(7): 430–431.

12.

Lagoudas

(2008) Shape Memory Alloys. New York, NY: Springer Science and Business Media, LLC.

13.

Lee

(1989) Microstrip patch antennas—basic properties and some recent advances. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics 51: 811–818.

14.

Liang

Rogers

(1997) Design of shape memory alloy actuators. Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures 8: 303–313.

15.

Otsuka

Wayman

(1999) Shape Memory Materials. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

16.

Pozar

(1998) Microwave Engineering. 2nd edn. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

17.

Targonski

Waterhouse

Pozar

(1998) Design of wide-band aperture-stacked patch microstrip antennas. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 46(9): 1245–1251.

18.

Vinoy

Varadan

(2001) Design of reconfigurable fractal antennas and RF-MEMS for space-based systems. Smart Materials and Structures 10: 1211.

19.

Wolcott

Dapino

Zhang

(2011) Smart switch metamaterials for multiband radio frequency antennas. Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures 22(13): 1469–1478.

20.

Yang

Luk

(2006) Design of a wide-band L-probe patch antenna for pattern reconfiguration or diversity applications. IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 54(2): 433–438.

21.

Yashchyshyn

(2010) Reconfigurable antennas: the state of the art. International Journal of Electronics and Telecommunications 56(3): 319–326.

Radio frequency patch antenna reconfiguration with Ni–Ti shape memory alloy switches

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References