Design of 5.3 GHz Microstrip Array Antenna for WBAN Applications

Abstract

Microstrip array antenna generally consists of a patch antenna on the surface of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with a metal foil on the other side of the board. They operate at microwave frequencies. The reason behind their popularity in recent decades is, they have a thin planar profile so that can be easily mounted on a variety of applications including aircraft and missile projects. They offer the excellent convenience of integrating the antenna on the same printed circuit board with the remaining part of the circuit. These advantages make it unique and stand different amidst a variety of antennas present today! In this paper, a Microstrip array antenna is proposed and designed for Wireless Body Area Networks. They are primarily intended to be applied in the fields of wearable computing devices for medical applications. The proposed system resonates at a frequency of 5.3GHz. The substrate used here has a width of 29.2mm with length and height of 23.5mm and 2mm respectively. They employ multiple patches in a two dimensional array whose width is 17.2mm and length is 11.5mm. All these specifications offer an amazing way of designing a phased array of antennas that contributes to have polarization ability. This paper demonstrates how a Microstrip array antenna could offer several advantages like ease of fabrication, light weight, low volume and smaller dimension and how they could be employed in a variety of prospects when compared to other conventional antennas.