AUTHOR=Positano Francesco , Lizzi Leonardo , Staraj Robert 

TITLE=Design and on-field test of ESPAR antenna for UAV-based long-range IoT applications

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Antennas and Propagation

VOLUME=Volume 2 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/antennas-and-propagation/articles/10.3389/fanpr.2024.1429710

DOI=10.3389/fanpr.2024.1429710

ISSN=2813-4680

ABSTRACT=The design of a pattern reconfigurable parasitic element antenna system operating in the LoRa 868 MHz band and its on-field characterisation is proposed in this paper. The Electronic Steerable Parasitic Array Radiator (ESPAR) antenna consists of a single-fed shorted patch surrounded by 4 rectangular parasitic elements. The antenna system can develop 4 directive beams, each one activated by one of 4 PIN diodes, and an omnidirectional pattern obtained when all diodes are turned off. The antenna has been characterized both in a anechoic controlled environment and in a practical on-field Drone-to-ground packet transmission scenario. Results based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) show that the pattern reconfigurability becomes increasingly relevant with the end-point distance, and that pointing the beam at the end-point allows always the highest RSSI level to be received.