Binary phase-controlled multi-beam-switching antenna array for reconfigurable 5G applications

The paper presents a two-phase state based multi-beam-switching scheme implemented on a custom-designed 4 × 4 antenna array operating with a bandwidth of 1.5 GHz around 14 GHz. The antenna array and the beam-switching scheme have been experimentally validated. A phasing network designed to produce two phase states is used to experimentally validate the beam-switching and five beam states are presented, though this can be extended to other configurations using the split beam as a building block to construct multiple beams. The antenna can find potential use in multi-user millimetre-wave massive MIMO scenarios which require simultaneous multiple beams along selective directions.