TY - JOUR

T1 - Antenna Optimization for WBAN Based on Spherical Wave Functions De-Embedding

AU - Berkelmann, Lukas

AU - Jäschke, Hendrik

AU - Mörlein, Leonardo

AU - Grundmann, Lukas

AU - Manteuffel, Dirk

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under Grant MA4981/11-1.

PY - 2022/7/20

Y1 - 2022/7/20

N2 - Antennas for wireless body area networks (WBANs) need to be modeled with adapted methods because the coupling with the body tissue does not allow for a clear separation between antenna and channel. Especially for dynamically varying on-body channels due to changing body poses, e.g., with head-worn antennas, modeling is challenging and design goals for optimal antennas are difficult to determine. Therefore, in this article, the modeling of WBAN channels using spherical wave functions (SWFs) is utilized for antenna de-embedding and for deriving optimal antenna characteristics that maximize the transmission coefficient for the respective channel. It is evaluated how typical factors influencing WBAN channels (different body anatomies, body postures, and varying positions of the communication nodes) can be modeled statistically with SWF. An optimized antenna design is developed based on the derived optimization method, specifically adapted to the channel of on-body links with eye-wear applications. The results with the optimized antenna are compared to other standard antenna designs and validated against measurements.

AB - Antennas for wireless body area networks (WBANs) need to be modeled with adapted methods because the coupling with the body tissue does not allow for a clear separation between antenna and channel. Especially for dynamically varying on-body channels due to changing body poses, e.g., with head-worn antennas, modeling is challenging and design goals for optimal antennas are difficult to determine. Therefore, in this article, the modeling of WBAN channels using spherical wave functions (SWFs) is utilized for antenna de-embedding and for deriving optimal antenna characteristics that maximize the transmission coefficient for the respective channel. It is evaluated how typical factors influencing WBAN channels (different body anatomies, body postures, and varying positions of the communication nodes) can be modeled statistically with SWF. An optimized antenna design is developed based on the derived optimization method, specifically adapted to the channel of on-body links with eye-wear applications. The results with the optimized antenna are compared to other standard antenna designs and validated against measurements.

KW - Antenna measurements

KW - Antenna radiation patterns

KW - Antennas

KW - Body area networks

KW - Receiving antennas

KW - Transmitting antennas

KW - Wireless communication

KW - antenna de-embedding

KW - implanted antennas

KW - on-body propagation

KW - spherical wave function (SWF)

KW - wearable antennas

KW - wireless body area networks

KW - wireless body area networks (WBANs)

KW - Antenna de-embedding

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135234649&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.48550/arXiv.2111.01708

DO - 10.48550/arXiv.2111.01708

M3 - Article

VL - 70

SP - 11033

EP - 11044

JO - IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation

JF - IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation

SN - 0018-926X

IS - 11

ER -