Fully Textile-Integrated Microstrip-Fed Slot Antenna for Dedicated Short-Range Communications

A novel fully textile-integrated antenna based on a slotted short-circuited microstrip line has been designed, manufactured, and experimentally validated for its use in automobile upholsteries for dedicated short-range communications. The antenna can be manufactured using an industrial loom and a laser prototyping machine, avoiding subsequent treatments, sewing procedures, or coatings. The manufactured antenna presents a central working frequency of 5.9 GHz and a 9.3% bandwidth. Good agreement between simulations and measurements has been achieved.