A Dual Band Belt Antenna

This paper presents an antenna structure design using a standard belt for wearable applications. The antenna arouse from a body of research work on wearable metallic structures functioning as antennas for wireless on-body networks

A CPW-fed antenna on 3D printed EBG substrate

This paper proposes a coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed antenna and electromagnetic band gap (EBG) structure on 3D printed substrates. Low-cost fuse filament fabrication (FFF) technology is employed. Two sets of experiments are described. In the first, the antenna and EBG patterns are etched on copper clad Mylar® polyester film and attached to the 3D printed substrates. In the second, the patterns of the EBG are added using silver conductive paint. Both experiments compare very well between them, and with the simulations. The EBG structure provides improved antenna performance such as gain, efficiency and directivity. The antenna and EBG are designed for the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth frequency band. The Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) computational method was used for the study

3D Printing of Elements in Frequency Selective Arrays

3-D printing is a technology that enables the fabrication of complex objects directly from a digital model. Folding the elements of Frequency Selective arrays in three dimensions gives a significant reduction in the resonant frequency for a given cell dimension, and such structures are candidates for additive manufacture. The aim in this paper is to demonstrate by example the development of novel electromagnetic structures that could be fabricated in parallel and integral with the additive manufacture of buildings, for electromagnetic architecture control. The principle is illustrated with two new geometries based on dipole and loop elements. The cores of these structures were fabricated with a 3-D printer that uses a plaster-based material. Theoretical and experimental results confirm the operation of the surfaces within the UHF frequency band

Compact UWB Monopole for Multilayer Applications

A novel compact, dual layer UWB monopole antenna is presented. This low profile ultra-wideband antenna is fed by a 50 ? shielded strip-line with an array of metal vias making the conducting walls. A printed disc monopole with a circular cut is the radiating element. The dual layer, shielded strip line feed allows for integration in multilayer technologies. The ultra-wideband, monopole characteristics of the antenna are confirmed experimentally

MIMO LTE Vehicular Antennas on 3D Printed Cylindrical Forms

A multi-band antenna suitable for Long-term Evolution (LTE) is shaped around a 3D printed cylindrical form, and arranged in a MIMO configuration. The antenna is based on a planar wideband monopole radiator with an additional resonator for the LTE700 frequency band. Conforming the antenna onto a cylindrical shape reduces its length while keeping performance. It also reduces the space used by the MIMO antenna system. Furthermore, the plastic cylinder improves the mechanical strength of the supporting substrate for the radiating element. The aim is to study the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) of substrates for the development of conformal vehicular antenna. Two antennas have been fabricated, one etched on a copper clad Mylar substrate, and a second painted directly onto the cylindrical form. The two antennas have been measured and the results are compared. Two copper based antennas have been tested in a MIMO configuration. The antennas successfully operate at all LTE and mobile frequency bands. Finite different time domain simulations compare well with measurements

UWB antenna on 3D printed flexible substrate and foot phantom

An ultra-wideband (UWB) monopole antenna on an additive manufactured (AM) flexible substrate for foot wear application is proposed. The 3D printing of foot phantoms for the testing of this type of antennas is also introduced. Inexpensive fuse filament fabrication (FFF) technology is utilized for these developments. Flexible polylactic acid plastic filament (PLA) material is used for the antenna while transparent PLA for the phantom. The antenna is intended for integration into the footwear tongue. The UWB monopole antenna achieves -10dB input impedance matching from 3.1GHz to over 10.6GHz in freespace, on the foot phantom and on the real human body. Simulation and measurement confirm the ultra-wideband operation of the antenna

Electromagnetic Coupling through Arbitrary Apertures in Parallel Conducting Planes

We propose a numerical methodto solve the problem of coupling through finite, but otherwise arbitrary apertures in perfectly conducting and vanishingly thin parallel planes. The problem is given a generic formulation using the Method of Moments and the Green's function in the region between the two planes is evaluated using Ewald's method. Numerical applications using Glisson's basis functions to solve the problem are demonstrated and compared with previously published results and the output of FDTD software

Compact multiband antennas for wireless systems

The research work to be presented focuses on the study of multiband antennas for wireless indoor communications and wearable transceivers. An introduction to the essential antenna parameters and the theory behind the electromagnetic simulators used for this research sets the background necessary for understanding the procedure used when designing and measuring antennas. A study of the characteristics of textile materials at microwave frequencies using non-resonant transmission methods is later performed. The basis of small antenna design by top loading and the design of the Planar Inverted F Antenna is also covered. The main research work is divided into two parts. The first part investigates antennas for mobile and wireless indoor communications networks. The antennas are intended for Distributed Antenna Units to be located in buildings. A dual band Planar Inverted F antenna previously developed at the University of Kent is chosen as the prototype to achieve multiband and broadband operations. A parasitic resonator on the ground plane and side resonators are introduced in a study where additional bands are added. The derivation of equivalent function planar antennas from three dimensional multiband PIFAs is also covered. The second part of the work focus on antennas for wearable applications. The antennas are intended for WLAN on-body communication networks. A novel approach is taken by using metallic button structures to create wearable antennas. Dual frequency band operation is achieved on the button structures by adding a metallic plate on the top of the antenna and a cylindrical via connector. Miniaturization techniques are later applied to the button structure to reduce the size of the antenna while maintaining a match at the 2.4GPIz and 5 GHz wireless bands

Millimeter Wave Substrate Integrated Waveguide Antennas: Design and Fabrication Analysis

The paper presents a new concept in antenna design, whereby a photo-imageable thick-film process is used to integrate a waveguide antenna within a multilayer structure. This has yielded a very compact, high performance antenna working at high millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies, with a high degree of repeatability and reliability in antenna construction. Theoretical and experimental results for 70 GHz mm-wave integrated antennas, fabricated using the new technique are presented. The antennas were formed from miniature slotted waveguide arrays using up to 18 layers of photo-imageable material. To enhance the electrical performance a novel folded waveguide array was also investigated. The fabrication process is analysed in detail and the critical issues involved in the fabrication cycle are discussed. The losses in the substrate integrated waveguide have been calculated. The performance of the new integrated antenna is compared to conventional metallic, air-filled waveguide antennas, and also to conventional microstrip antenna arrays operating at the same frequencies