Analysis of a Packable and Tunable Origami Multi-Radii Helical Antenna

This paper presents the design process of a multi-radii monofilar helical antenna that can operate in three different bands with circular polarization. The antenna is comprised of two helical antennas with different radii that are embedded and supported by an innovative structural technique. This allows reconfigurable behavior, efficient folding, packaging, and deployment. The antenna is fabricated using 2-mil-thick-FPC Kapton with a 3-mil copper trace glued appropriately on the top. An actuation mechanism of telescopic form is used for the stress-free deployment of the proposed design. The proposed origami antenna can adjust its band of operation by changing its height; therefore, it is physically reconfigurable. The main advantage of this antenna is that it can cover multiple applications, such as GPS, WiMAX, and satellite radio communications with a measured maximum right-hand circularly polarized realized gain of 6.3, 12.7, and 10.5 dB, respectively, thereby eliminating the need for multiple antennas.