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Active textile antennas in professional garments for sensing, localisation and communication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2014

Arnaut Dierck ,
Sam Agneessens ,
Frederick Declercq ,
Bart Spinnewyn ,
Gert-Jan Stockman ,
Patrick Van Torre ,
Luigi Vallozzi ,
Dries Vande Ginste ,
Thomas Vervust  and
Jan Vanfleteren Open the ORCID record for Jan Vanfleteren [Opens in a new window]
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Arnaut Dierck*
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Sam Agneessens
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Frederick Declercq
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Bart Spinnewyn
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Gert-Jan Stockman
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Patrick Van Torre
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Luigi Vallozzi
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Dries Vande Ginste
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
Thomas Vervust
Affiliation:
Ghent University-IMEC, Centre for Microsystems Technology, Technology Park 914, B-9052, Gent-Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Jan Vanfleteren
Affiliation:
Ghent University-IMEC, Centre for Microsystems Technology, Technology Park 914, B-9052, Gent-Zwijnaarde, Belgium
Hendrik Rogier
Affiliation:
Department of Information Technology, Ghent University-IMEC, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. Phone: +32 9 264 3353
*
Corresponding author: A. Dierck Email: arnaut.dierck@intec.ugent.be
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Abstract

New wireless wearable monitoring systems integrated in professional garments require a high degree of reliability and autonomy. Active textile antenna systems may serve as platforms for body-centric sensing, localisation, and wireless communication systems, in the meanwhile being comfortable and invisible to the wearer. We present a new dedicated comprehensive design paradigm and combine this with adapted signal-processing techniques that greatly enhance the robustness and the autonomy of these systems. On the one hand, the large amount of real estate available in professional rescue worker garments may be exploited to deploy multiple textile antennas. On the other hand, the size of each radiator may be designed large enough to ensure high radiation efficiency when deployed on the body. This antenna area is then reused by placing active electronics directly underneath and energy harvesters directly on top of the antenna patch. We illustrate this design paradigm by means of recent textile antenna prototypes integrated in professional garments, providing sensing, positioning, and communication capabilities. In particular, a novel wearable active Galileo E1-band antenna is presented and fully characterized, including noise figure, and linearity performance.

Keywords

Antenna designModeling and measurementsNew and emerging technologies and materials
Type
Research Paper
Information
International Journal of Microwave and Wireless Technologies , Volume 6 , Issue 3-4: European Microwave Week 2013 , June 2014 , pp. 331 - 341
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the European Microwave Association 2014 

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