Toto Ltd.

Kengo Iwata

Hiroshi Tsuboi

Kensuke Murata

Toshio Koguro

Tomoyuki Abe

Youichi Murase

A plurality of antenna electrodeson a substratecan be connected to a ground electrode on the substratevia connectors at spotsA-C,A-C,A-C, andA-C. Each connector can be opened/closed by a switch; or provided with a impedance varying device. Any one of the antenna electrodes may be connected to the ground electrode by the switch or the impedance varying device. The radio wave beam outputted from this antenna electrode shifts in phase from the radio wave beams outputted from the other antenna electrodes, whereby the direction of the integrated radio wave beam is inclined. Connecting one or another of the spotsA-C,A-C,A-C, andA-C to the ground electrode changes the direction and the magnitude of the integrated radio wave beam.

Microstrip antenna

A microstrip antenna has feed elementand parasitic elementson the front surface of substrate. Microwave electrical power is applied to feed element. Parasitic elementsare connected via through hole type leads passing through substrate, to switches upon the rear surface of substrate, respectively. By actuating the switches individually, parasitic elementsare individually switched between a grounded state and a float state. The direction of the radio beam emitted from the microstrip antenna is varied by selecting which of parasitic elementsis grounded and floated. A microwave signal source connects to feed elementvia an feed linevery much shorter than the wavelength, accordingly the transmission losses being low and the efficiency being excellent.

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Fukuoka, Japan

Kengo Iwata