A printed UWB antenna with full ground plane for WBAN applications

In this paper, an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna based on an inherently narrowband microstrip technology is proposed for wireless body area network (WBAN) applications. UWB performance extending from 4 to 9.5 GHz is obtained by applying several bandwidth enhancement techniques to the radiator printed on the upper surface of a substrate while maintaining a full ground plane on the lower surface of the substrate. A study has been conducted through simulations in both free space and close proximity to frequency dependent homogeneous human muscle-equivalent phantoms to determine the human body's effects on the performances of the antenna. The results reveal that the antenna is robust against both human body loading and structural deformation, and has a less impact on body tissues, indicating a very promising candidate for body-worn applications.