Plantenna: Using Plant Leaves to Increase Antenna Performance

In agricultural applications, it is becoming ever more important to be able to send sensor data in an energy-efficient way, possibly from each plant. This study investigates the possibility to excite a plant leaf using an Antenna Booster to enhance antenna performance. A PCB including a Matching Network is designed to accommodate the Antenna Booster. This PCB is placed in a simulation environment on material emulating the electrical properties of a plant. It is shown that the Antenna Booster uses the PCB and the leaf it is placed upon to radiate. The simulations show that it is possible to increase the radiation efficiency of the antenna structure from 9.6% up to 15% at a frequency of approximately 2 G Hz by attaching the Antenna Booster to a leaf-like plane, and that using the leaf thus should be considered in the Internet of Plants (IoP).