Low profile patch antenna for on-body wireless sensor application in MBAN band

A low profile patch antenna design for on-body wireless sensor in the medical body area network (MBAN) band is presented. By locating the proposed antenna at the top of the sensor, i.e., farthest from a human body, we can maximize the radiation efficiency of low profile sensor. The antenna consists of a rectangular loop and patch with slots for size reduction, employing printed flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The proposed antenna is measured on a lossy medium with permittivity and conductivity close to those of the human body. The 3-dB bandwidth of antenna is sufficient to cover the MBAN band (2.360-2.395 GHz) and has a relatively good peak gain with -0.4 dBi for 1 mm separation from the lossy medium, especially considering its low profile characteristic (0.008λ).