Wearable Antenna For Tracking Applications

Abstract

Wearable antennas play a major role in military applications. Antennas are required to track the current location of the soldiers, but the rigid structure of the antenna makes it uncomfortable for the soldiers to move. To avoid this, a flexible type of antenna is designed. The major concern in flexible antennas like textile antennas is frequency-detuning problems in the operation brought on by structural distortion. When the antenna is distorted, it might not function at the intended frequency. In order to rectify frequency-detuning issues, a 1.8 GHz fabric antenna is presented in this work for GPS tracking applications with faulty (defective) ground structures. Therefore, in situations with a broader bandwidth and adequate antenna performance, the impacts of frequency detuning could be reduced. The rectangular slots are attached to the ground to form a defective ground structure, and a fabric antenna measuring 90 mm (L) by 100 mm (W) is designed. Copper and jean fabric are used as conductive materials and substrates, respectively. A detailed analysis with DGS is performed on the antenna. The importance of DGS in the proposed design is clarified by comparing the electric and magnetic field strengths at both radiating and non-radiating edges. Comprehensive analyses of performance are conducted using S-parameter, gain, radiation pattern, and current distribution. Thus, in both bending circumstances, the antenna is able to operate at the required frequency.