A Dual-Mode Single-Band Wearable Microstrip Antenna for Body Area Networks

Design, fabrication, and test of a novel single-band wearable antenna with dual-mode operation (on-body and off-body) for body area network's applications in the 2.45 GHz industrial scientific and medical band are presented. The on-body mode is achieved with a microstrip ring while the off-body mode is obtained with a compact meandered microstrip patch placed inside the ring. The two antennas are fed separately but share a common ground plane and use only fabric materials facilitating the integration into the user's clothes. The antenna operation is characterized when placed on a phantom mimicking a human torso. Input match, mutual coupling, radiation pattern, radiation efficiency, and path loss measurements are presented and show good agreement with simulations.