A Compact Cross-Structured Dynamic Antenna for Reconfigurable Directional Modulation

Abstract: A compact cross-structured dynamic antenna is presented for antenna-level physical-layer security using reconfigurable information-beam control rather than conventional radiation beam steering. The antenna uses four printed meander-line monopoles in a planar cross structure and a switching network that realizes two complementary excitation states for each dynamic mode. By switching between opposite or diagonal port groups, the aperture introduces apparent two-dimensional phase center displacement and supports four information-beam directions: $\varphi=0^\circ$, $45^\circ$, $90^\circ$, and $135^\circ$. An average--differential array factor formulation shows that the average component preserves broad omnidirectional coverage, while the odd-symmetric differential component creates angle-dependent magnitude and phase distortion that determines where the constellation remains recoverable. The recoverable information region is therefore reconfigured without phased-array beamforming, multiple RF chains, or mechanical motion. A 5.05-GHz prototype on Rogers RO4350B is fabricated with an electrical footprint of $0.57 \times 0.47λ_0^2$. Measured 16-QAM results show that low bit error rate is confined to the intended E-plane information-beam sectors, while off-beam angles exhibit large magnitude and phase errors, elevated BER, or unrecoverable constellations despite high received SNR. The measured H-plane cuts maintain low BER over nearly the full angular range, confirming omnidirectional information recovery in the orthogonal plane.