A simple design of reconfigurable feeding network for antenna array beam scanning

In this letter, a simple approach to design a reconfigurable feeding network (RFN) for antenna array beam scanning is presented. By combining a 3 dB power divider and a reconfigurable delay line group (RDLG), the two output signals with 2^m+n sets of uniformly distributed phase gradients (PGs) can be obtained. And by adopting multi two-output RFNs and multi-stage design, a RFN for generating 2^m+n continuously distributed beams is constructed. For verifying the design method, a microstrip four-output RFN for generating four scanning beams is implemented, fabricated and measured. The measured results are consistent with the theoretical analysis, which provides the validity of the design. And the design of the RFN can be used as a candidate of the feeding network for antenna array beam scanning.