A study of a one-turn circular patch antenna array and the influence of the human body on the characteristics of the antenna

Abstract In this paper, an intelligent health monitoring system based on wireless body area network (WBAN) is considered, and a wearable one-turn circular patch antenna array designed for obese individuals is investigated. The purpose of this antenna array is to establish a good communication link between the human body and personal devices and to monitor the long-time health of these individuals. Thus, the far-field radiation pattern is considered an important indicator in the investigation and the omnidirectionality of a one-turn patch antenna array is pursued. In this research, first, the effect of the human body on a single patch antenna unit and a one-turn circular patch antenna array are explored. The arrangements of the patch antenna units in a one-turn antenna array are discussed. Then, an electromagnetic simulation is conducted mainly via the method of moment (MOM). The conclusions of the effect of the human body on a single antenna unit and antenna array are obtained. This study provides guidelines for the arrangement of wearable circular sensor antenna arrays. A method for the analysis of a cylinder antenna array is proposed as well.