Electronically reconfigurable polarization antenna
This antenna can switch its radio wave orientation—called polarization—on the fly using small electronic switches embedded in its structure. It consists of a flat circuit board with a specially shaped slot cut into a metal ground plane, fed by a microstrip line on the back. By turning specific switches on or off, the antenna changes how it radiates signals, supporting multiple polarization modes from a single physical unit. This eliminates the need to swap out antennas or add complex external components when a system needs to operate in different polarization states.
What you could build
A compact, electronically reconfigurable antenna module for satellite terminals, MIMO base stations, or military radios that need to switch polarization states without hardware changes; buyers would be antenna module manufacturers and defense communications integrators.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and government contractors clustered around Northern Virginia and the Pentagon corridor—such as Leidos, SAIC, or Northrop Grumman—would have direct interest in reconfigurable antenna technology for tactical communications.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- W. Mark Dorsey, Amir I. Zaghloul, Mark G. Parent
- Granted
- February 12, 2013
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 8373609
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.