Design of dual band textile antenna for ISM bands using fractal geometry

This paper presents a unique design for dual band textile antenna. The proposed antenna is well suited for useful ISM band applications. This dual band antenna design is based on a method that uses the principle of self-replication in fractal-like geometries for generating multiband operations. However we have used the first iteration for getting dual band operation. The obtained operating frequencies are 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz which covers WLAN, PAN as well as cordless phone bands. The proposed monopole type antenna is built on a flannel cloth substrate with ground plane that is partially present at the back of this substrate. By varying the size of slot present in the monopole we can change the second resonant frequency as per requirement. The antenna is fed through a microstrip feed line. Simulation results show that proposed textile antenna is well suited for ISM band applications. For the first iteration, antenna prototype is fabricated with conductive metalized nylon fabric (Zell) and results are measured on antenna analyzer. The obtained results are in good agreement with the simulation results. This antenna is well suited for medical applications where there is requirement to continuously monitor biometric data for proper health care. Other applications of textile antenna include defense, firefighting and recreation areas.