Low profile and low SAR flexible wearable patch antenna for WBAN

Abstract

In the proposed work, a compact wearable antenna on a polymer-based flexible substrate has been designed and analyzed for Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). The proposed antenna operates in 2GHz to 6GHz band at the resonant frequency of 5.4 GHz for WLAN applications in on-body communication. The antenna structure has been miniaturized using slotting of the radiating patch to make the antenna light enough, perfectly suiting wearable wireless applications. A larger conductive ground plane between the body and the patch reduces RF coupling and lowers the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) value. In the simulation, the wearable antenna offers an increased gain of 10 dB with an average SAR value of 1.5 watts/gm, which is within the specified safety limit. The antenna has been designed to provide better isolation against on-body losses and reduced SAR value with improved radiation efficiency.