A Bluetooth antenna for on-body communications

Fuelled by the idea of a body-centric approach to future communication technology, many research projects have been initiated, to integrate antennas and RF systems into clothes with regards to size reduction and cost effectiveness: so the wearer will not notice the existence of these sub-systems. For instance, the development of wearable computer systems is very rapid and soon one will see a wide range of unobtrusive wearable and ubiquitous computing equipment into his/her everyday wear. Rapid progress in wireless communication promises to replace all wired-communication networks in the near future in which antennas play a vital role. This paper presents design and development of a circular patch antenna for on-body wireless communications. In this patch antenna, the conducting parts are made up of copper and polyester fabric is chosen as the dielectric substrate material. Both input impedance and radiation patterns are determined experimentally when the antenna is kept in flat position. The impedance characteristics of the antenna are investigated under bent conditions too to check compatibility with wearable applications.