Broadband binary phased antenna

1. A broadband binary phased antenna, comprising:

a symmetric antenna element symmetrical about a mirror axis thereof and including feed points on either side of said mirror axis operable to create opposite symmetric field distributions across said symmetric antenna element, said opposite symmetric field distributions being binary phase-shifted with respect to one another; and

a symmetric switch connected to said feed points and arranged to selectively switch between said opposite symmetric field distributions.

2. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein said feed points include a first feed point on a first side of said mirror axis capable of creating a first field distribution across said symmetric antenna element and a second feed point on a second side of said mirror axis capable of creating a second field distribution across said symmetric antenna element, the magnitude of said first and second field distributions being substantially equivalent, the phase of said first distribution differing from the phase of said second field distribution by 180 degrees.

3. The antenna of claim 2 , wherein said switch selectively connects to one of said first feed point and said second feed point.

4. The antenna of claim 2 , wherein said first feed point and said second feed point are positioned on said symmetric antenna element substantially symmetrically about said mirror axis.

5. The antenna of claim 4 , wherein said first feed point is positioned near a midpoint of said symmetric antenna element on said first side of said mirror axis and said second feed point is positioned near a midpoint of said symmetric antenna element on said second side of said mirror axis.

6. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein said switch includes first and second terminals, the operating states of said switch being symmetric between said first and second terminals.

7. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein said switch is a SPDT switch.

8. The antenna of claim 1 , wherein said switch is a DPDT switch.

9. The antenna of claim 1 , further comprising: a second antenna element connected to said symmetric switch, said symmetric switch selectively connecting one of said feed points to said second antenna element.

10. The antenna of claim 9 , wherein said second antenna element is said symmetric antenna element fed in an orthogonal polarization.

11. A method for broadband binary phase-switching of an antenna, comprising the steps of:

providing an array of symmetric antenna elements, each being symmetrical about a mirror axis thereof; and

feeding each of said symmetric antenna elements at one of two feed points positioned on either side of said mirror axis to create one of two opposite symmetric field distributions across said respective symmetric antenna element, said opposite symmetric field distributions being binary phase-shifted with respect to one another.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said feeding further comprises:

feeding a select one of said symmetric antenna elements at either a first feed point on a first side of said mirror axis to create a first field distribution across said select symmetric antenna elements or a second feed point on a second side of said mirror axis to create a second field distribution across said select symmetric antenna elements, the magnitude of said first and second field distributions being substantially equivalent, the phase of said first distribution differing from the phase of said second field distribution by 180 degrees.