PIFA top-loaded monopole antenna with diversity features for WBAN applications

A miniaturized diversity antenna dedicated to WBAN applications is described. The combination of a PIFA and a top-loaded monopole yields distinct patterns fitting the different natures of the received waves. The strong isolation observed between the broadside and end-fire ports is an important feature to limit the correlation between the received signals. The diversity gain is measured for three links between body-worn antennas, showing the improvement brought by the antenna diversity in the WBAN context.