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A low-profile multi-polarized MIMO ultra-wideband antenna suitable for body-centric communications is reported. MIMO configuration is achieved using the symmetric heptagonal monopole (SHM) antenna, a mirrored SHM antenna, an asymmetric ruby-shaped monopole (ARSM) antenna, and a mirrored ARSM antenna placed over the modified C-shaped ground plane (MCGP). The proposed antenna elements are designed to achieve resonance for the entire ultra-wideband frequency range. The SHM antenna is coupled with a co-planar waveguide to produce linear polarization. An ARSM antenna generates circular polarization utilizing an asymmetric geometry both in the radiator and a truncated ground plane. Both the SHM antenna and an ARSM antenna are aligned face-to-face over an MCGP plane and good isolation >15 dB is realized between the antenna elements. The gain and total efficiency for linear polarized and the circularly polarized antennas are 3.05–4.8 dBi/48–66% and from 2.8 to 5 dBic/52 to 70.5%, respectively. The specific absorption rate values are evaluated to understand their suitability for WBAN communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong demand for compact and multiband antennas as wireless technologies become more integrated into automobiles. These antennas must be able to serve multiple services without compromising the size and installation space. In addition, the antenna incorporated should not affect the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. This paper presents a compact multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna working at 2.45 GHz (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/RFID) and ultra-wideband (UWB) frequencies. A basic rectangular monopole with a self-complementary structure is used to design the antenna element. The size of the antenna element is 20 × 22 mm2. The proposed MIMO cube is developed with four antenna elements in cubical orientation to achieve compactness and better isolation. The overall dimension of the MIMO antenna is 35 × 22 mm2. The diversity antenna shows impedance bandwidth of 2.4–11.5 GHz and isolation of more than 20 dB. The envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) of the MIMO antenna is less than 0.2, diversity gain (DG) is greater than 9 dB, and total active reflection coefficient (TARC) and channel capacity loss (CCL) are less than −10 dB and 0.4 bits/s/Hz, respectively. The gain and efficiency are found to be greater than 1 dBi and 72%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a pattern diversity UWB antenna for Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) communications. Pattern diversity antenna comprises two antenna elements with directional and omnidirectional patterns suitable for off-body and on-body communications respectively. Several broad-banding techniques such as Co-Planar waveguide, parasitic patches, and cavity resonant techniques are incorporated in microstrip antenna to achieve an ultra-wideband of 7.5 GHz (3.1 to 10.6 GHz) with a directional pattern. Monopole radiator topology is utilized to achieve a UWB frequency range of 2.6–10.6 GHz with an omnidirectional pattern. Pattern diversity is achieved using an orthogonal arrangement of the antenna elements in a compact size of 40 mm × 34 mm, maintaining the isolation >20 dB between the antennas. Gain varies from 2.2 to 4.6 dBi and 2.5 to 7.5 dBi for omnidirectional and directional antenna respectively. The simulated radiation efficiency for the directional antenna and the omnidirectional antenna are 74–86% and 52–66.5% respectively. The proposed design provides a good diversity performance in the entire UWB bandwidth with ECC<0.1 and a diversity gain of approximately 10 dB. SAR impact evaluated under various conditions is found to be <1.6 W/Kg for 1 gram of tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a flexible multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with ultrawideband (UWB) performance for smart clothing applications. The MIMO antenna is comprised of four octagonal-shaped radiators with several slots loaded into them, and it offers a frequency range of 2.9–12 GHz. The unit cell has a size of 0.26λ0 × 0.164λ0 × 0.014λ0 and the MIMO antenna has a size of 0.48λ0 × 0.48λ0 × 0.014λ0, where λ0 corresponds to the lowest operating frequency. The radiation and diversity performances of the antenna are evaluated, and the obtained metrics are envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) <0.045, diversity gain (DG) >9.9 dB, total active reflection coefficient (TARC) <−14 dB, and channel capacity loss (CCL) <0.13 bits/s/Hz. The bending analysis of the MIMO antenna is performed. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of the MIMO antenna is also investigated, and the obtained values are 0.229 W/Kg (4 GHz), 0.253 W/Kg (7 GHz), and 0.463 W/Kg (10 GHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and development of a quad-port smart textile antenna for bio-healthcare applications. The antenna is designed to operate in the ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum (3.1–12 GHz) with an impedance bandwidth of 8.9 GHz. The size of the unit cell and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna are 0.25 λ 0 × 0.2 λ 0 × 0.015 λ 0 and 0.52 λ 0 × 0.52 λ 0 × 0.015 λ 0 , respectively. The antenna has a maximum efficiency of 93% and a peak gain of 4.62 dBi. The investigation of diversity metrics is performed and the results obtained are found to be ECC < 0.08 and DG < 9.99 dB. The computed CCL and TARC values are <0.13 bits/s/Hz and <−12 dB, respectively. The SAR analysis of the antenna shows a value of 0.471 Watt/Kg at 4 GHz, 0.39 Watt/Kg at 7 GHz, and 0.22 Watt/Kg at 10 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the promising developments in wearable communication technology, attention towards flexible electronics is increasing day-by-day. This study presents flexible low-profile ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas for wearable applications. The antenna comprised of a modified dewdrop-inspired radiator and a defected ground plane and has an impedance bandwidth of 3.1–10.6 GHz. The antenna flexibility is investigated using four different substrates (polyester, polyamide, denim, and Teslin) and tested on a cotton shirt and a high-end Res-Q jacket to evaluate their performance stability for body-worn applications. The fabricated planar dewdrop-shaped radiator (PDSR) antennas have a radiation efficiency of >90%, a gain of >4 dBi, and a group delay variation of fewer than 0.5 ns. The antenna conformability is measured by placing the fabricated antennas on various curved and nonplanar parts of the human body. The aforementioned antennas offer better flexibility for different bent conditions. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of the designed antennas is investigated to determine their wearability, and values are found to be less than 0.2 W/Kg. Also, the received signal strength (RSS) is discussed in order to analyze signal attenuation, and the performance analysis of the antennas is compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact body-worn circular polarized textile monopole antenna for wearable applications is reported. The proposed antenna is fabricated on a jean fabric providing flexibility, lightweight, and easy integration into human clothes. The overall size of the proposed antenna is $25\times 30\times1.4$ mm3. Circular polarization (CP) is advantageous for on-body communication as it provides features, such as multipath immunity, suppressing interferences, and enables better link connectivity between the sensor nodes. The proposed antenna achieves the CP using an asymmetric stepped L-shaped ground plane and through the incorporation of a cross-shaped stub in the radiator. The single-fed octagonal strip monopole antenna provides good impedance matching over the entire ultrawide frequency range from 3.09 to 11 GHz. Simulation results are in good correlation with the measured results. The axial ratio bandwidth <3 dB is achieved in the frequency range of 3.4–10 GHz. Gain and efficiency obtained are about 2.3-4.4 dBi and 65%–82% at the said frequency range, respectively. Structural deformation is performed to analyze the flexibility of the proposed antenna. The simulated SAR values follow the FCC limit making it most suitable for wearable applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conformal four-port multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna operating at 2.4 GHz and ultrawideband (UWB) is presented for wearable applications. The unit element of the MIMO antenna is a simple rectangular monopole with an impedance bandwidth of 8.9 GHz (3.1–12 GHz). In the monopole radiator, stubs are introduced to achieve 2.4 GHz resonance. Also, a defect is introduced in the ground plane to reduce backside radiation. The efficiency of the proposed antenna is greater than 95%, and its peak gain is 3.1 dBi. The MIMO antenna has an isolation of >20 dB, and the estimated specific absorption rate (SAR) values for 1 gm of tissue are below 1.6 W/Kg. The size of the four-port MIMO antenna is 1.38λ0 × 0.08λ0 × 0.014λ0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This communication presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a tunable band-notched UWB filtering antenna. The proposed filtering antenna comprises a semiellipsoid radiator and a microstrip transmission line to cover the UWB communication bandwidth from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. It also comprises two J-shaped open-ended stubs and an asymmetric T-shaped open-ended stub to create notch bands at 3.5 GHz (WiMAX), 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz (WLAN) in the UWB spectrum. The center frequencies of the notch band are tuned continuously using varactors with percentage tuning of 7.5%, 5.38%, and 3.54%. The prototype is fabricated and experimentally validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a modified antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) with low cross-polarisation is proposed for ultrawideband communications. The bandwidth offered by conventional single petal AVA is enhanced by adding another petal. This dual petal antenna occupies a small volume of 60 × 60 × 0.8 mm3 and provides operating bandwidth from 2.4 GHz to frequencies >14 GHz. The proposed antenna configuration provides low cross-polarisation level which is <-15 dB over the entire operational band. The designed antenna offers realised gain >5 dB and an average group delay variation of 0.5 ns. The prototype antenna is fabricated and tested to validate the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article clarifies the usage of the diversity gain (DG) equation adopted by Alsath and Kanagasabai in their published research article. This article also explains the usage of the DG equation for antenna related problems and the related approximations over the classical equation provided by Kshetrimayum in his comment article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quad-element multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with ultra-wideband (UWB) performance is presented in this paper. The MIMO antenna consists of four orthogonally arranged microstrip line-fed hexagonal monopole radiators and a modified ground plane. In addition, E-shaped and G-shaped stubs are added to the radiator to achieve additional resonances at 1.5 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The reliability of the antenna in the automotive environment is investigated, with housing effects taken into account. The housing effects show that the antenna performs consistently even in the presence of a large metal object. The proposed MIMO antenna has potential for various automotive applications, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), intelligent transport system (ITS), automatic vehicle identifier, and RFID-based electronic toll collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a novel miniaturized FSS with wide stop band characteristics for UWB applications. The proposed FSS consists of garland like design printed on either side of the dielectric substrate. The design provides a bandwidth equal to 3.5 GHz at -20 dB reference level of insertion loss which lies within the UWB range. The design delivers stable response for various angular incidences. In addition to this, the symmetrical nature of the FSS holds identical response for both TE and TM Mode of polarization. The proposed geometry is fabricated and its simulated results are validated with measurements. A comprehensive analysis is made by adjusting various parameters associated with the proposed design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the design of a three‐port diversity antenna capable of producing three‐directional radiation pattern for vehicular communications. The proposed antenna consists of three uncorrelated Vivaldi antennas that are interconnected and developed on a single printed circuit board. Unlike many other antennas reported for the vehicular environment, the proposed antenna offers ultra‐wideband characteristics with end‐fire radiation pattern leading to high realized antenna gain. The integrated antenna has a footprint of 65 × 40 × 1.6 mm3 and offers 6 GHz impedance bandwidth extending from 5 to 11 GHz. The port‐to‐port isolation is greater than 20 dB within the operating bandwidth. Furthermore, the diversity performance of the proposed three‐port antenna system is evaluated and presented. The calculated envelope correlation coefficient, diversity gain, and mean effective gain are well above the minimum requirement. The prototype antenna is fabricated and the experimental results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, flexible, low profile and robust planar monopole antennas are designed and analyzed for its performance over conformal surfaces, intended for Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Body Centric Wireless Communications (BCWC). By the aid of alike shape (modified rectangular shaped) radiator and truncated ground plane, two compact microstrip fed antennas are designed and fabricated on flexible substrates – Polyamide and Teslin (environmentally friendly, flexible and green-electronics). The proposed polyamide antenna with a size of 50 mm × 40 mm × 0.8 mm, radiates over frequency range from 1.8 to 13.3 GHz and teslin antenna with a dimension of 50 mm × 40 mm × 0.712 mm, covers the frequency range from 1.4 to 13.4 GHz. To validate the designed prototypes, the antennas are fabricated and the impact performance are analyzed, while flexing the antenna from its nominal straight arrangement (bending through its length, width, different bending radius and angles). Further, time domain analysis is carried out in free space and in various bent scenarios with pulse excitation to validate the antennas for UWB applications. The transmission coefficient characteristics (S21) and group delay for various bending conditions are measured and the fidelity factor for all the scenarios are greater than 0.82, which make the antennas good candidate for UWB-BCWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]