volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical approach to compare the performance of a directive and a quasi-omnidirectional on-body antennas.Two canonical antennas, namely, a dipole and a rectangular aperture, are considered in the 60 GHz band. We first demonstrate that for this on-body configuration, the classically-defined far-field antenna gain depends on the observation distance. Consequently, we derive results in terms of radiation efficiency and link budget. To do so, the antenna input impedance computation is a preliminary step to normalize the input power to allow a fair comparison between the two antennas. The impedance over a lossy half-plane of an aperture illuminated by a TE10 mode normally polarized is therefore derived into a convenient easy-to-compute formulation, which to authors' best knowledge, is not available in the literature. In terms of link budget, it is obtained that the received power due to an aperture is generally higher than the one due to the dipole in the main lobe direction. A constant difference is observed along the distance, and this difference increases with the aperture width for antennas touching the body. Besides, it is shown that the standard aperture waveguide WR15 exhibits a slightly higher efficiency than a vertical dipole with the same vertical size when being placed at a distance less than 3 mm (i.e., 0.6λ) from the body phantom surface. Above this distance, the dipole and the aperture exhibit similar efficiency in the order of 60%.

1. Patel, M. and J. Wang, "Applications, challenges, and prospective in emerging body area networking technologies," IEEE Wirel. Commun., Vol. 17, No. 1, 80-88, 2010.
doi:10.1109/MWC.2010.5416354 Google Scholar

2. Yuce, M. R. and J. Khan, Wireless Body Area Networks: Technology, Implementation, and Applications, CRC Press, 2011.

3. Li, H.-B. and K. Y. Yazdandoost, Wireless Body Area Network, River Publishers, 2010.

4. Zhu, N., "Simulation and optimization of energy consumption on wireless sensor networks," Journal of the Institute of Polytechnics Osaka City University, Ser. A Mathematics, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, 2013. Google Scholar

5. Aoyagi, T., M. Kim, and J. Takada, "Characterization for a electrically small antenna in proximity to human body --- Towards Antenna de-embedding in body area network channel modeling," 7th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, 3421-3422, 2013. Google Scholar

6. Grimm, M. and D. Manteuffel, "On-Body antenna parameters," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 63, No. 12, 5812-5821, 2015.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2015.2482499 Google Scholar

7. Naganawa, J., J. Takada, T. Aoyagi, and M. Kim, "Antenna deembedding in WBAN channel modeling using spherical wave functions," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 65, No. 3, 1289-1300, 2017.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2017.2655006 Google Scholar

8. Boyes, S. J., P. J. Soh, Y. Huang, G. A. E. Vandenbosch, and N. Khiabani, "On-body performance of dual-band textile antennas," IET Microwaves, Antennas Propag., Vol. 6, No. 15, 1696-1703, 2012.
doi:10.1049/iet-map.2012.0469 Google Scholar

9. Giddens, H., D. L. Paul, G. S. Hilton, and J. P. McGeehan, "Influence of body proximity on the efficiency of a wearable textile patch antenna," 6th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), 1353-1357, 2012. Google Scholar

10. Klemm, M., I. Z. Kovacs, G. F. Pedersen, and G. Troster, "Comparison of directional and omni-directional UWB antennas for Wireless Body Area Network applications," 18th Internaitonal Conference on Applied Electromagnetics and Communications (ICECom), 1-4, 2005. Google Scholar

11. Sarrazin, J., et al. "Antenna radiation efficiency considerations in body area networks," 11th EAI International Conference on Body Area Networks, ICST (Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering), 10-11, 2016. Google Scholar

12. Razafimahatratra, S., J. Sarrazin, A. Benlarbi-delai, and P. De Doncker, "Horn antenna design for BAN millimeter wave on-body communication," IEEE APS, 204.2, 2014. Google Scholar

13. Chahat, N, G. Valerio, M. Zhadobov, and R. Sauleau, "On-body propagation at 60 GHz," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 61, No. 4, 1876-1888, 2013.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2013.2242034 Google Scholar

14. Alipour, S., F. Parvaresh, H. Ghajari, and F. K. Donald, "Propagation characteristics for a 60 GHz Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN)," Military Communications Conference, 719-723, 2010. Google Scholar

15. Petrillo, L., T. Mavridis, J. Sarrazin, A. Benlarbi-Delai, and P. De Doncker, "Statistical on-body measurement results at 60 GHz," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 63, No. 1, 400-403, 2015.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2014.2364611 Google Scholar

16. Shubair, R. M. and Y. L. Chow, "A closed-form solution of vertical dipole antennas above a dielectric halfspace," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 41, No. 12, 1737-1741, 1993.
doi:10.1109/8.273319 Google Scholar

17. Hasgall, P. A., E. Neufeld, M. C. Gosselin, A. Klingenbock, and N. Kuster, "TIS database for thermal and electromagnetic, parameters of biological tissues,", Version 2.6, 2015, [Online], Available: www.itis.ethz.ch/database. Google Scholar

18. Balanis, C. A., Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, 3rd Ed., John Wiley and Sons, 2005.

19. Grimm, M. and D. Manteuffel, "Norton surface waves in the scope of body area networks," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 62, No. 5, 2616-2623, 2014.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2014.2307347 Google Scholar

20. King, R. W. P., G. J. Fikioris, and R. B. Mack, Cylindrical Antennas and Arrays, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
doi:10.1017/CBO9780511541100

21. Lea, A., P. Hui, J. Ollikainen, and R. G. Vaughan, "Propagation between on-body antennas," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 57, No. 11, 3619-3627, 2009.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2009.2031917 Google Scholar

22. Alexander, H. and D. L. Miller, "Determining skin thickness with pulsed ultra sound," Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Vol. 72, No. 1, 17-19, 1979.
doi:10.1111/1523-1747.ep12530104 Google Scholar

23. Marks, R., P. J. Dykes, and E. Roberts, "The measurement of corticosteroid induced dermal atrophy by a radiological method," Archives of Dermatological Research, Vol. 253, No. 2, 93-96, Sep. 1975.
doi:10.1007/BF00582060 Google Scholar

24. Shelkunoff, H. T. and S. A. Friis, Antennas: Theory and Practice, Wiley, New York, 1952.

25. Compton, R. T., "The admittance of aperture antennas radiating into lossy media,", Antenna Lab., The Ohio State University Research Foundation, Columbus, Rept. 1691-5, Mar. 15, 1964. Google Scholar

26. Yang, J. J., Y. L. Chow, and D. G. Fang, "Discrete complex images of a three-dimensional dipole above and within a lossy ground," IEE Proc. H (Microwaves, Antennas Propagation), IET Digit. Libr., Vol. 138, No. 4, 319-326, 1991.
doi:10.1049/ip-h-2.1991.0053 Google Scholar

27. Xu, X. and Y. F. Huang, "An efficient analysis of vertical dipole antennas above a lossy half-space," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 74, 353-377, 2007.
doi:10.2528/PIER07052202 Google Scholar

28. Khalatpour, A., R. Sarraf Shirazi, and G. Moradi, "Analysis of vertical wire antennas above lossy half-space using matrix pencil method," AEU --- Int. J. Electron. Commun., Vol. 64, No. 8, 784-789, 2010.
doi:10.1016/j.aeue.2009.05.006 Google Scholar

29. Shubair, R. M. and Y. L. Chow, "A simple and accurate complex image interpretation of vertical antennas present in contiguous dielectric half-spaces," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 41, No. 6, 1993.
doi:10.1109/8.250457 Google Scholar

30. Michalski, K. A. and J. R. Mosig, "The Sommerfeld half-space problem revisited: From radio frequencies and Zenneck waves to visible light and Fano modes," Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications, Vol. 30, No. 1, 1-42, 2016.
doi:10.1080/09205071.2015.1093964 Google Scholar

31. Felsen, L. and N. Marcuvitz, Radiation and Scattering of Waves, Prentice-Hall, 1973.

32. Ur-Rehman, M., N. A. Malik, X. Yang, Q. H. Abbasi, Z. Zhang, and N. Zhao, "A low profile antenna for millimeter-wave body-centric applications," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. PP, No. 99, 1-1, 2017. Google Scholar

33. Puskely, J., M. Pokorny, J. Lacik, and Z. Raida, "Antenna implementable into button for on-body communications at 61 GHz," 8th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP), 1551-1555, 2014.
doi:10.1109/EuCAP.2014.6902080 Google Scholar

Ms. Solofo Razafimahatratra

Dr. Julien Sarrazin

Dr. Guido Valerio

Dr. Francois Sarrazin

Dr. Massimiliano Casaletti

Dr. Philippe De Doncker

Prof. Aziz Benlarbi-Delai