Embroidered Textile Patch Antennas: Design and Implementation Methodology

In this study, a 3-step methodology for efficiently designing embroidered textile patch antennas in the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band is presented. A conventional patch antenna (Reference Model) is initially designed for ISM operation. Then, an embroidered prototype is fabricated based on the Reference Model’s physical size. Resonance frequency divergence between simulations and measurements is exhibited giving insight into the electrical elongation (≈ 1.55*λ) of the 4 lines/mm-stitch density embroidered patch, as well as its equivalent conductivity (0.011*10
⁶
S/m). Taking into consideration these design issues, the Reference Antenna model is modified in terms of its physical dimensions and impedance matching and the final embroidered patch antenna is fabricated. The presented textile patch antenna resonates at 2.453 GHz with a wide 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 140 MHz. The far-field radiation patterns with a maximum realized gain of approximately 0.5 dB indicate increased antenna losses which may be attributed to the low conductivity of the embroidery.