H-plane SIW horn antenna for on-body communication

The substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology allows us to construct several types of low-profile antennas. One of these antennas is h-plane SIW horn antenna. However, this antenna shows constraints if thickness of the substrate is smaller than λ/10. A modified h-plane horn antenna to be used close to conducting and dielectric surfaces is presented in this paper. Attention is paid to the decrease of the elevation angle of the main beam in E-plane. The antenna has been developed for wireless links of on body communication or wireless power transfer along conductive materials like metallic roofs of cars, buses or airplanes.