A compact, wide-beam, high gain antenna for wearable medical body-area network devices

A compact and low-profile wearable antenna for wireless body area network devices operating at 5.8 GHz ISM band is presented. The dimensions of the antenna are 9.5 mm × 16 mm with a wide impedance bandwidth of 650 MHz (5.42-6.07 GHz). Dimensions of the antenna are optimized using CST Microwave Studio. The antenna has a high directive gain of 6.9 dBi with less than 0.15 dB gain variation, having radiation in broadside, i.e. towards out of the body. Maximum allowed power to the antenna is 2.21 mW and 26.11 mW at 1-g and 10-g, respectively. Input power limited by the average SAR to the antenna are almost constant within the operating bandwidth. The antenna has wide radiation beamwidth, half power beamwidth, of 114.10 and 91.60 with a very low side lobe level of -9.7 dB and -12.5 dB in YZ and XZ plane, respectively.