Abstract

In this paper, we review the recent patents on reactance-loaded reconfigurable antennas designed for beamforming applications mainly in wireless communication systems, which have potential to improve the system performance while maintaining the terminal cost low. More specifically, we introduce several patents on antenna configurations, control algorithms and their applications, followed by remarks on current and future developments.

Keywords: Reactance loading, antenna array, active antenna, reconfigurable antenna, parasitic element, mutual coupling and beamforming