Smart antennas and reconfigurable antennas have been used in applications for wireless network communications including communications via radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and Wi-Fi and provide many beneficial features. However, they are overly complex and expensive to make and use. Smart antennas, which are also known as adaptive array antennas and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, are highly adaptable devices that use complex algorithms and modifiable antenna configurations to communicate effectively on a wireless network. However, these highly adaptable devices require external variable power to support their adaptable configurations, which include changing their antenna configurations, performance and other parameters as needed.
Smart antennas also operate with phase distribution system controls that manage a phased array of antenna devices cooperating with each other to steer radio beams and adapt to network parameters as needed for effective network communications. However, such networks and devices are expensive. Further, they are complicated to design, manage and maintain due to the multiple changeable components required in the antenna devices, not to mention due to the complexity of their control mechanisms that ensure coordinated control of the antenna elements, as well as their need for external variable power requirements.
Reconfigurable antennas likewise include modifiable elements that permit antenna configuration changes to be made, but the antenna device itself in these systems is more compact than with smart antennas. Similar to smart antennas, reconfigurable antennas can be electronically switched as needed to enable and disable communications and modify antenna parameters. Conventional reconfigurable antennas include variable resistors in the form of PIN diodes and small switches in the form of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switches, which are controlled to modify the antenna configurations.
Both smart and reconfigurable conventional antennas require external variable power supplies and DC bias lines in order to provide power for changing their configurations, as well as for supporting their complex logic elements and control mechanisms. Both of these conventional antenna systems also require complex circuitry and support features, such as fiber optic lines, DC biased RF feeds, and other complex circuitry components. As such, conventional smart and reconfigurable conventional antennas require complicated antenna designs, complex controls and elaborate control logic for managing the devices, as well as external variable power supplies to enable their operation.
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