volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

In this work, a novel all-textile washable metasurface antenna is designed for WBAN/WLAN and mid-band 5G applications. Metasurface antenna is obtained by implanting SRR (Split Ring Resonator) metamaterials that show left-hand characteristics to the patch plane. The metasurface arrays consisting of 4×1 and 4×2 SRRs are placed to both sides of a circular patch. The performance of the antenna is verified by a full-wave electromagnetic analysis tool. The results show that metamaterial arrays significantly increase gain and efficiency values of the circular patch antenna. Metasurface antenna consisting of 4×2 array of metamaterials increases the efficiency from 74% to 94.5% and the antenna gain from 6.81 dBi to 9.43 dBi. Performance of the antenna is observed on conformal surfaces, as well. An analysis is carried out to calculate the peak specific absorption rate on an arm phantom. Patterns of vertically bended antenna in ø=0° and 90° planes and low SAR values up to 30 dBm input power proved suitability of the metasurface antennas for on-body applications. The antennas are fabricated by using standard textile manufacturing techniques. It was confirmed by the measurement results that the metasurface formed by the linear SRR arrays increases the antenna gain. With its low cost, fabrication with standard off-the-shelf parts, high gain, and efficiency features, the proposed antenna can be used in wireless body area networks and 5G applications.

1. Yan, S., P. J. Soh, and G. A. E. Vandenbosch, "Compact all-textile dual-band antenna loaded with metamaterial-inspired structure," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 14, 1486-1489, 2015.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2014.2370254 Google Scholar

2. Moro, R., S. Agneessens, H. Rogier, A. Dierck, and M. Bozzi, "Textile microwave components in substrate integrated waveguide technology," IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 63, No. 2, 422-432, Feb. 2015.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2014.2387272 Google Scholar

3. Joshi, R., et al. "Dual-band, dual-sense textile antenna with AMC backing for localization using GPS and WBAN/WLAN," IEEE Access, Vol. 8, 89468-89478, 2020.
doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2993371 Google Scholar

4. Tak, J. and J. Choi, "An all-textile Louis Vuitton logo antenna," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 14, 1211-1214, 2015.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2015.2398854 Google Scholar

5. Locher, I., M. Klemm, T. Kirstein, and G. Troster, "Design and characterization of purely textile patch antennas," IEEE Trans. Adv. Packag., Vol. 29, No. 4, 777-788, Nov. 2006.
doi:10.1109/TADVP.2006.884780 Google Scholar

6. May, W. E., I. Sfar, J.-M. Ribero, and L. Osman, "A millimeter-wave textile antenna loaded with EBG structures for 5G and IoT applications," 2019 IEEE 19th Mediterranean Microwave Symposium (MMS), 1-4, 2019. Google Scholar

7. Ouyang, Y. and W. J. Chappell, "High frequency properties of electro-textiles for wearable antenna applications," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 56, No. 2, 381-389, Feb. 2008.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2007.915435 Google Scholar

8. Lopes, C., C. Loss, R. Salvado, P. Pinho, S. Agneeessens, and H. Rogier, "Development of substrate integrated waveguides with textile materials by manual manufacturing techniques," Proceedings of the 2nd Int. Electron. Conf. Sens. Appl., S3004, 2014. Google Scholar

9. Stoppa, M. and A. Chiolerio, "Wearable electronics and smart textiles: A critical review," Sensors, Vol. 14, 11957-11992, 2014.
doi:10.3390/s140711957 Google Scholar

10. Mashaghba, H. A., et al. "Bending assessment of dual-band split ring-shaped and bar slotted all-textile antenna for off-body WBAN/WLAN and 5G applications," 2020 2nd International Conference on Broadband Communications, Wireless Sensors and Powering (BCWSP), 2020. Google Scholar

11. Gao, G., C. Yang, B. Hu, R. Zhang, and S. Wang, "A wearable PIFA with an all-textile metasurface for 5 GHz WBAN applications," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 18, No. 2, 288-292, Feb. 2019.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2018.2889117 Google Scholar

12. Antenna, P., M. N. Ammal, B. Ramachandran, P. H. Rao, and D. N. Kumar, "5 GHz WLAN band-notched UWB symmetrical slotted PI-notched parasitic planar," 2013 International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communications and Informatics (ICACCI), 338-342, 2013.
doi:10.1109/ICACCI.2013.6637194 Google Scholar

13. Sharma, D., S. K. Dubey, and V. N. Ojha, "Wearable antenna for millimeter wave 5G communications," 2018 IEEE Indian Conference on Antennas and Propogation (InCAP), 2018. Google Scholar

14. Zhong, J., A. Kiourti, T. Sebastian, Y. Bayram, and J. L. Volakis, "Conformal load-bearing spiral antenna on conductive textile threads," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 16, 230-233, 2017.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2016.2570807 Google Scholar

15. Celenk, E. and N. T. Tokan, "All-textile on-body antenna for military applications," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, 2022. Google Scholar

16. Ahmed, A., M. R. Robel, and W. S. T. Rowe, "Dual-band two-sided beam generation utilizing an EBG-based periodically modulated metasurface," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 68, No. 4, 3307-3312, Apr. 2020.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2019.2943442 Google Scholar

17. Veselago, V. G., "The electrodynamics of substances with simultaneously negative values of ε and μ," Soviet Physics Uspekhi, Vol. 10, 509-514, 1968.
doi:10.1070/PU1968v010n04ABEH003699 Google Scholar

18. Smith, W. J., D. C. Padilla, S. C. Vier, C. Nemat-Nasser, and S. Schultz, "Composite medium with simultaneously negative permeability and permittivity," Physical Review Letters, Vol. 84, 4184-4187, 2000.
doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.4184 Google Scholar

19. Valentine, J., S. Zhang, T. Zentgraf, E. Ulin-Avila, D. A. Genov, G. Bartal, and X. Zhang, "Three-dimensional optical metamaterial with a negative refractive index," Nature, Vol. 455, 376-379, 2008.
doi:10.1038/nature07247 Google Scholar

20. Wahidi, M. S., M. I. Khan, F. A. Tahir, and H. Rmili, "Multifunctional single layer metasurface based on hexagonal split ring resonator," IEEE Access, Vol. 8, 28054-28063, 2020. Google Scholar

21. Syihabuddin, B., M. R. Effendi, and A. Munir, "Characterization of X-band wave absorber made of SRR-based metasurface," 2019 IEEE Conference on Antenna Measurements & Applications (CAMA), 1-4, 2019. Google Scholar

22. Aznabet, M., et al. "Wave propagation properties in stacked SRR/CSRR metasurfaces at microwave frequencies," 2009 Mediterrannean Microwave Symposium (MMS), 1-4, 2009. Google Scholar

23. Nguyen, T. K., S. K. Patel, S. Lavadiya, J. Parmar, and C. D. Bui, "Design and fabrication of multiband reconfigurable copper and liquid multiple complementary split-ring resonator based patch antenna," Waves in Random and Complex Media, 1-24, 2022.
doi:10.1080/17455030.2021.2024623 Google Scholar

24. Lavadiya, S. P., S. K. Patel, and R. Maria, "High gain and frequency reconfigurable copper and liquid metamaterial tooth based microstrip patch antenna," AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications, Vol. 137, 153799, 2021.
doi:10.1016/j.aeue.2021.153799 Google Scholar

25. Lajevardi, M. E. and M. Kamyab, "Ultraminiaturized metamaterial-inspired SIW textile antenna for off-body applications," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 16, 3155-3158, 2017.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2017.2766201 Google Scholar

26. Gil, I., R. Seager, and R. Fernández-García, "Embroidered metamaterial antenna for optimized performance on wearable applications," Phys. Status Solidi (a), Vol. 215, No. 21, Art. No. 1800377, 2018. Google Scholar

27. Hong, Y., J. Tak, and J. Choi, "An all textile SIW cavity-backed circular ring slot antenna for WBAN applications," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 15, 1995-1999, 2016.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2016.2549578 Google Scholar

28. Gao, G., C. Yang, B. Hu, R. Zhang, and S. Wang, "A wide-bandwidth wearable all-textile PIFA with dual resonance modes for 5 GHz WLAN applications," IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 67, No. 6, 4206-4211, Jun. 2019.
doi:10.1109/TAP.2019.2905976 Google Scholar

29. Madeira "HC conductive Treads Switch on the Magic,", 6, 2021. Google Scholar

30. Dogan, E., E. Unal, and D. Kapusuz, "New generation WIMAX antenna based on metamaterial superstrate," Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials - Rapid Communications, 1002-1010, 2013. Google Scholar

31. Dogan, E., E. Unal, D. Kapusuz, M. Karaaslan, and C. Sabah, "Microstrip patch antenna covered with left handed metamaterial," ACES Journal, Vol. 28, No. 10, 999-1004, 2013. Google Scholar

32. Çelenk, E. and N. T. Tokan, "All-textile, washable metasurface antenna for WBAN/WLAN and mid-band 5G applications," 2021 13th International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering (ELECO), 305-309, 2021.
doi:10.23919/ELECO54474.2021.9677728 Google Scholar

33. Hu, B., G. Gao, L. He, X. Cong, and J. Zhao, "Bending and on-arm effects on a wearable antenna for 2.45 GHz body area network," IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, Vol. 15, 378-381, 2016.
doi:10.1109/LAWP.2015.2446512 Google Scholar

34. Gabriel, C., "A compilation of the dielectric properties of body tissues at RF and microwave frequencies," Radio Freq. Radiat. Division, Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX, USA, Tech. Rep. AL/OE-TR-1996-0037, 1996. Google Scholar

35. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/537 Official J. Eur., Apr. 5, 2016.

Dr. Esra Çelenk

Dr. Nurhan Türker Tokan