mm-Wave Wearable Patch Antenna Design and

Analysis for Auditory Applications

1
Gurpreet Kaur, 2Anuj Tomar, 3Himanshu, 4Rahul Ranwan
Department of Electronics and communication Engineering,
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Una (H.P) 177209
1
gurpreetkaur@[Link]
2
21209@[Link]
3
21221@[Link]
4
21231@[Link]

In this paper, a novel and small millimetre-wave antenna, which is easy to wear and focused on body-centric wireless
communications (BCWCs) is proposed. This antenna, which has an operating frequency of 60 GHz, is constructed on a
cotton substrate that is 1.5 mm thick and is 7.0 × 5.05 × 1.5 mm³. It has an outdoor radiation efficiency of 95.61%, a broad
impedance bandwidth, and a maximum gain of 6.77 dBi. On a level surface, the antenna's performance is evaluated. Cotton
is employed as a substrate because it has been seen to provide a substantial percentage difference of 242.8% at 60 GHz.
additionally, five distinct textiles—cotton, and silk, moleskin, denim, and jeans— are used to assess the antenna's
performance. The findings of this paper show that this antenna is efficient, compact, and well-suited for integration into
wearable systems.

I. INTRODUCTION into watch straps, shoes, and clothing, they are especially well-
The use of body-centric wireless communication (BCWC) suited for wearable applications. Commercial fabrics like
has grown dramatically in recent years due to advancements polyester, cotton and denim which have a huge surface area
in wireless technology. Wireless Body Area Networks and provide excellent antenna substrates, can be used to build
(WBANs) are networks of wireless devices that operate in these antennas. [3, 4-6].
close proximity to the human body. A unique kind of conductive fabric called electro textile, which
These gadgets can be implanted inside the body or placed is flexible, strong, and able to survive harsh environments like
throughout it. Numerous industries, including audio, washing and high temperatures, can be used to create the
entertainment, identification systems, sports, and the military, radiating elements and ground plane. Numerous electro-textile
have found widespread use for WBANs. The creation of manufacturing techniques have been thoroughly examined in
wearable technology has been made possible by the shrinking [7, 8,6].
of embedded systems and hardware. Smart watches and With a global bandwidth of 7 to 9 GHz, the 60 GHz range is
apparel from brands like Adidas, Apple, and Nike track and an unlicensed mmWave channel. Compared to UWB systems,
gather important biological data. One exciting new field of which normally give rates under 1 Gbps at distances of up to
study is the electronic auditory (e-auditory) for health. 10 meters, this band delivers speeds up to 7 Gbps, making it
One exciting new field of study is the electronic auditory (e- perfect for low-range, high-data-rate transmission.
auditory) for health. E-auditory, which links patients in rural One of the research's main accomplishments is the invention of
locations with urban specialists, is especially helpful since the a unique, incredibly small, cotton-based 59.63 GHz microstrip
number of patients with chronic illnesses keeps growing. patch antenna for BCWC in applications related to aural
Asthma, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and other health. The antenna has a high efficiency, good gain, and a
chronic illnesses affect a large number of individuals very wide bandwidth. This antenna design will be simulated
globally. using five distinct textile substrates and open space CST
For these patients, on-going monitoring and treatment Microwave Studio, much like in earlier research. [9, 10,11].
planning are critical, and e-auditory is essential in facilitating
these critical physiological parameters, including blood
pressure, pulse rate, oxygen saturation (SpO2), and blood II. PROPOSED ANTENNA DESIGN
glucose levels.
Numerous sensors with antennas will be positioned On-body, off-body and in-body are the three modes in which
throughout the body to measure these vital signs in e-auditory WBAN antennas can function. Implanted devices that
applications involving body-centric communications. The communicate with the nodes outside the human body must use
data gathered will then be sent to distant physicians, the in-body mode. These implanted gadgets can be medical
hospitals, or auditory health providers for continued sensors gathering essential bodily data. On-body devices are
monitoring and treatment planning. [1,2]. network-connected and positioned just outside the body. When
Designing a antenna that is both compact and effective is an on-body gadget wirelessly connects to another device that is
essential for BCC in e-auditory applications. Communication not near the human body, this is known as off-body
between off-body devices and on-body units,. Antennas communication. The radiation patterns are different for
designed for worn purpose need to be small, flexible, and different antennas. Broadside radiation is favoured for off-
light, because textile antennas may be directly incorporated
body communication, while for on-body communication, mm is placed on top of the radiating structure with a relative
end-fire radiation is essential. On-body communication permittivity of 1.63 . Due to their low relative permittivity,
prefers Yagi-Uda radiation. Microstrip patch antennas are surface wave losses will be minimum. This enhances
perfect for wearable technology because of their planar form, impedance bandwidth by increasing spatial waves. In body-
tiny size, and low weight additionally they are affordable and centric communications, the absence of the ground plane may
have simple construction. Broadside radiation, which is ideal change the resonance frequency and raise exposure and local
for off-body communication, is produced by patch antennas. temperature.
Three planar structures make up the suggested textile patch The size and geometrical dimensions of mm Wave antennas
antenna design. A parallelogram and a circle are combined to make it difficult to fabricate them using electro textiles.
create the lollypop-shaped primary radiating patch. These Antenna performance may be impacted by cutting errors. For
shapes are highlighted in Figure 1(a). The Circle has a radius the ground plane and radiating elements, a perfect electric
of 0.95 mm. the slots have been removed from the back conductor (PEC) with a thickness of 0.035 mm has been
shown by the Figure 1(b) .The detailed dimensions of the employed. The antenna's overall measurements are 7.0 x 5.05
Antenna are shown in Figure 2, and the antenna dimension × 1.5 mm³. The materials used in designing the antenna are
values are provided in Table 1. A 2.98 x 0.65 mm microstrip listed in Table 2. Figures 1(a)–1(d) show different views of the
feed line that is connected to the parallelogram's lower end antenna. Presence of a ground plane can minimize back
feeds the antenna. A cotton substrate having thickness of 1.5 radiation.
 Conducting Substrate
Material

Ground Plane
(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 1: (a) Frontal perspective. (b) Backward perspective. (c) Front image with port. (d) Ground view.

r
x
L
y

z c
d

B
(a) (b)

Figure 2: Antenna’s Dimensions. (a) Dimensions in the Frontal Perspective. (b) Dimensions in the rear perspective

Table 1: Different parameters of antenna

Parameter Values (mm)
L 7
B 5.05
x 0.95
y 0.65
z 2.98
r 1.7
a 1.6
b 1.3
c 3
d 1.55

Table 2: Antenna parts and parameters

Components Height (mm) Material used
Patch radiator 0.035 PEC
Ground 0.035 PEC
Substrate 1.5 cotton
 III. SIMULATION RESULTS IN FREE SPACE
The results of free-space simulations done in the 40–80 GHz S-Parameter describes how signals are transmitted,
range, show that the antenna is well-implemented and suitable reflected, or absorbed when interacting with an antenna at
for this frequency range. Figure 3(a) explains that antenna
different frequencies. Means higher the S-Parameter is,
resonates at 60 GHz with a return loss magnitude of -56.60 dB
and an impedance bandwidth of more than 40 GHz at −10 dB,
interaction will be high and hence Material will be more
As the millimetre wave frequencies fall between 30 and 300 suitable as substrate for antenna.
GHz, the antenna is operating flawlessly, With a peak gain of Figure 6 enclosed the comparison of S-parameter results of all
6.77 dBi, the antenna's radiation efficiency at 59.63 GHz the materials which is showing that cotton material has the
(about 60 GHz) is 95.61%. more S-Parameter value than the other materials.
Throughout the whole frequency range, the voltage standing Table 4 provides data on how, the S-parameter (measured in
wave ratio (VSWR), or the ratio of the greatest voltage to the dB) changes for various materials (Silk, Moleskin, Jeans, and
minimum voltage, stays below the ideal value of 2, or 1 Cotton) in comparison to Denim across different frequencies
(about), and at the resonant frequency, it is less than 1.1. (50 GHz, 60 GHz, and 70 GHz). On Analysis few points are
(Figure 3(b)). observed that Silk has small differences compared to Denim,
Figure 4(a) displays the Radiation pattern of the antenna in 2-D with the highest percentage difference (33.6%) observed at 60
using Phi and Theta as the two coordinates, while the 3-D GHz, Moleskin Shows moderate differences compared to
radiation pattern and current distribution are displayed in Denim, with percentage changes increasing as the frequency
Figure 5(a) and 5(b) respectively using Phi Theta and y as the changes (e.g., 17.6% at 60 GHz), Jeans shows very similar to
coordinates. Denim, with small differences and percentage changes,
peaking at 9.86% at 70 GHz but Cotton has the largest
IV. ANALYSIS FOR VARIOUS TEXTILE differences compared to Denim, particularly at 60 GHz
MATERIALS (242.8%), indicating a significant deviation. Hence, cotton
For further analysis, five distinct textile substrates were chosen material will be more suitable as a substrate at 60 GHz.
i.e. Cotton, Silk, Moleskin, Denim and Jeans, by altering their
relative permittivity. Table 3 enclosed the list of these
substrates along with their relative permittivity value.

(a)
 (b)
Figure 3: Free space results (a) Return loss (b)VSWR

Figure 4: 2-D Radiation Pattern

(a) (b)
Figure 5: (a) 3-D Radiation pattern (b) current distribution
 TABLE 3: Four different materials with their Relative permittivity value
Material Relative Permittivity
Silk 1.75
Denim 1.87
Jeans 1.7
Moleskin 1.65
Cotton 1.63

Figure 6: S-Parameter Comparison of Cotton, Silk, Moleskin, Denim and Jeans

TABLE 4: Percentage increase or decrease in the S-Parameter value of the materials on comparing with the denim material
Material S-Parameter(dB) Difference (Magnitude only) Percentage
50GHz 60GHz 70GHz 50GHz 60GHz 70GHz 50GHz 60GHz 70GHz
Denim -13.51 -16.51 -15.31 - - - - - -
Silk -14.33 -22.06 -14.16 0.82 5.55 1.15 6.07 33.6 7.51
Moleskin -18.52 -19.43 -14.58 5.01 2.92 0.73 37.08 17.6 4.76
Jeans -14.79 -26.02 -13.80 1.28 9.51 1.51 9.47 57.6 9.86
Cotton -15.50 -56.60 -13.60 1.99 40.09 1.71 14.72 242.8 11.1

V. CONCLUSION

This study's objective was to use a cotton substrate to create and test a novel, small, textile antenna for millimetre wave frequency
range. This study offers thorough findings and an evaluation of the antenna's functionality. The suggested antenna achieves a wide
impedance bandwidth and is noticeably smaller than earlier versions. When it comes to S-parameters, cotton differs from denim
the most, especially around 60 GHz, where the difference is most noticeable. Jeans, on the other hand, are the most similar to
denim, with negligible percentage variations across all frequencies. Cotton is the most appropriate material for the substrate since
silk and moleskin are in the middle, with the intermediate variations becoming more noticeable as the frequency rises.. The
antenna's maximum gain suggests that it supports data transmission over greater distances.
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