Beyond Planar: An Additively Manufactured, Origami-Inspired Shape-Changing, and RFIC-Based Phased Array for Near-Limitless Radiation Pattern Reconfigurability in 5G/mm-Wave Applications

This letter presents an origami-inspired phased array operating at 28 GHz, with on-structure beamformer RFICs and a flexible feeding network that utilizes a foldable hinge interconnect. The mm-wave origami phased array therein operates at a substantially smaller scale compared with prior literature and achieves remarkable integration with on-structure beamforming circuitry. It introduces the first additively manufactured fully foldable hinge interconnect, exhibiting near-constant insertion loss across various folding angles and cycles. Leveraging origami principles, the phased array offers near 360 degrees continuous beam steering in the azimuth plane with reconfigurable multibeam or quasi-isotropic radiation patterns. Additive manufacturing techniques, including 3-D and inkjet printing, are used to fabricate a low-cost and lightweight prototype. Measurements demonstrating near-limitless pattern reconfigurability due to mechanical shape change and electrical beam steering signify a significant leap in overcoming challenges faced by traditional phased arrays.