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A small WLAN/Bluetooth antenna with the appearance of a metallic button is reported for use with wearable computer systems and covert communications. A single band version is discussed in addition to a dual band design that also covers the HiperLAN/2 band. No external matching circuits are required when the antenna is fed with a 50 Omega coaxial line. A lumped element equivalent circuit is presented for the dual band design together with parametric data curves to inform the design process. A 3 layer human body is included in the simulation and measurements are given to demonstrate the on-body performance. The antenna is disguised as a small metallic button, having the appearance of the waist button used in denim jeans.

A novel wearable antenna for WLAN applications is presented in this paper. The antenna is made up of a button shape cylindrical structure and a central metal disc connected to the metal ground plane. The structure and dimensions achieved are those of a standard metal button with greater deal of camouflage and rigidness than previous wearable antenna developments (Lukowicz, 2002), (Salonen, 2003). The proposed wearable antenna is designed for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz with the omnidirectional pattern required for transmission with other wearable devices located across the body.

A novel structure for wearable WLAN applications is presented. This antenna is a top loaded monopole and is shaped as a button. The antenna is easily disguised and is less sensitive to the clothing fabric than printed patches. The antenna is dual band at 2400MHz and 5200MHz with the onmi-directional radiation patterns required for transmission with other wearable devices located both on and off a user's body.