Low-profile Button Sensor Antenna Design for Wireless Medical Body Area Networks

A button sensor antenna (BSA) for wireless medical body area networks (WMBAN) is presented, which works through the IEEE 802.11b/g/n standard. Due to strong interaction between the sensor antenna and the body, a new robust system is designed with a small footprint that can serve on- and off-body healthcare applications. The measured and simulated results are matched well. The design offers a wide range of omnidirectional radiation patterns in free space, with a reflection coefficient (S
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) of −29.30 (−30.97) dB in the lower (upper) bands. S
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reaches up to −23.07 (−27.07) dB and −30.76 (−31.12) dB on the body chest and arm, respectively. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values are below the regulatory limitations for both 1-gram (1.6 W/Kg) and 10-gram tissues (2.0 W/Kg). Experimental tests of the read range validate the results of a maximum coverage range of 40 meters. Clinical Relevance— WMBAN technology allows for continuous monitoring and analysis of patient health data to improve the quality of healthcare services.