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Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 17137

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Telecomunicações, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: antenna design for telecommunications; wireless power transfer; sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antenna sensors have attracted considerable interest in recent years, mainly in the area of wireless sensor networks (WSN), since this technology represents a promising area for both the present and immediate future. The possible use of such systems has a broad range of applications, such as for military, rescue, medical, environment or entertaining purposes. Depending on the application, the frequency range of operations could be extended from UHF up to mm-waves.

Moreover, in order to reach the goals envisioned by the Internet of Things concept, a new world of sensors must be developed, which should be much more immersive and embedded in day-by-day utilities and infrastructures. To do so, new design techniques and new materials can be explored for the development of these embedded sensors, with communication capability and low power of consumption. In this sense, it is important to develop a set of passive sensors integrated within different materials, such as cork, ceramics, paper, plastic, and/or fabrics, to be later applied in identification and detection applications.

To further promote the development of this area, we invite researchers to contribute with original research manuscripts, as well as review articles, focused on recent advances in design and also performance analysis of sensors based on antennas and their applications. Future research directions and open problems are also suggested.

Dr. Pedro Pinho
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • antenna sensor
  • antennas in alternative material
  • antenna backscattering
  • batteryless wireless sensor
  • impedance-switching RFID
  • wearable RFID sensor
  • smart textiles
  • flexible sensor skin
  • body area network
  • dielectric sensor

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3596 KiB  
Article
Miniaturized Antenna Design for Wireless and Powerless Surface Acoustic Wave Temperature Sensors
by Naranut Sreang and Jae-Young Chung
Sensors 2024, 24(17), 5490; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24175490 - 24 Aug 2024
Viewed by 929
Abstract
This paper presents the introduction, design, and experimental validation of two small helical antennae. These antennae are a component of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor interrogation system, which has been miniaturized to operate at 915 MHz and aims to improve the performance [...] Read more.
This paper presents the introduction, design, and experimental validation of two small helical antennae. These antennae are a component of the surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor interrogation system, which has been miniaturized to operate at 915 MHz and aims to improve the performance of wireless passive SAW temperature-sensing applications. The proposed antenna designs are the normal-mode cylindrical helical antenna (CHA) and the hemispherical helical antenna (HSHA); both designed structures are developed for the ISM band, which ranges from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. The antennae exhibit resonance at 915 MHz with an operational bandwidth of 30 MHz for the CHA and 22 MHz for the HSHA. A notch occurs in the operating band, caused by the characteristics of the SAW sensor. The presence of this notch is crucial for the temperature measurement by aiding in calculating the frequency shifting of that notch. The decrement in the resonance frequency of the SAW sensor is about 66.67 kHz for every 10 °C, which is obtained by conducting the temperature measurement of the system model across temperature environments ranging from 30 °C to 90 °C to validate the variation in system performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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22 pages, 6317 KiB  
Article
Compact Wideband Tapered Slot Antenna Using Fan-Shaped and Stepped Structures for Chipless Radio-Frequency-Identification Sensor Tag Applications
by Junho Yeo and Jong-Ig Lee
Sensors 2024, 24(12), 3835; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24123835 - 13 Jun 2024
Viewed by 996
Abstract
In this paper, two kinds of miniaturization methods for designing a compact wideband tapered slot antenna (TSA) using either fan-shaped structures only or fan-shaped and stepped structures were proposed. First, a miniaturization method appending the fan-shaped structures, such as quarter circular slots (QCSs), [...] Read more.
In this paper, two kinds of miniaturization methods for designing a compact wideband tapered slot antenna (TSA) using either fan-shaped structures only or fan-shaped and stepped structures were proposed. First, a miniaturization method appending the fan-shaped structures, such as quarter circular slots (QCSs), half circular slots (HCSs), and half circular patches (HCPs), to the sides of the ground conductor for the TSA was investigated. The effects of appending the QCSs, HCSs, and HCPs sequentially on the input reflection coefficient and gain characteristics of the TSA were compared. The compact wideband TSA using the first miniaturization method showed the simulated frequency band for a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) less than 2 of 2.530–13.379 GHz (136.4%) with gain in the band ranging 3.1–6.9 dBi. Impedance bandwidth was increased by 29.7% and antenna size was reduced by 39.1%, compared to the conventional TSA. Second, the fan-shaped structures combined with the stepped structures (SSs) were added to the sides of the ground conductor to further miniaturize the TSA. The fan-shaped structures based on the HCSs and HCPs were appended to the ground conductor with the QCSs and SSs. The compact wideband TSA using the second miniaturization method had the simulated frequency band for a VSWR less than 2 of 2.313–13.805 GHz (142.6%) with gain in the band ranging 3.0–8.1 dBi. Impedance bandwidth was increased by 37.8% and antenna size was reduced by 45.9%, compared to the conventional TSA. Therefore, the increase in impedance bandwidth and the size reduction effect of the compact wideband TSA using the second miniaturization method were better compared to those using the first method. In addition, sidelobe levels at high frequencies decreased while gain at high frequencies increased. A prototype of the compact wideband TSA using the second miniaturization method was fabricated on an RF-35 substrate to validate the simulation results. The measured frequency band for a VSWR less than 2 was 2.320–13.745 GHz (142.2%) with measured gain ranging 3.1–7.9 dBi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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15 pages, 2987 KiB  
Article
Triple-Band Reconfigurable Monopole Antenna for Long-Range IoT Applications
by Muhammad Sani Yahya, Socheatra Soeung, Narinderjit Singh Sawaran Singh, Zainab Yunusa, Francis Emmanuel Chinda, Sharul Kamal Abdul Rahim, Umar Musa, Nursyarizal B. M. Nor, Cheab Sovuthy and Ghulam E. Mustafa Abro
Sensors 2023, 23(12), 5359; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23125359 - 6 Jun 2023
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2766
Abstract
In this study, a novel reconfigurable triple-band monopole antenna for LoRa IoT applications is fabricated on an FR-4 substrate. The proposed antenna is designed to function at three distinct LoRa frequency bands: 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz covering the LoRa bands [...] Read more.
In this study, a novel reconfigurable triple-band monopole antenna for LoRa IoT applications is fabricated on an FR-4 substrate. The proposed antenna is designed to function at three distinct LoRa frequency bands: 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz covering the LoRa bands in Europe, America, and Asia. The antenna is reconfigurable by using a PIN diode switching mechanism, which allows for the selection of the desired operating frequency band based on the state of the diodes. The antenna is designed using CST MWS® software 2019 and optimized for maximum gain, good radiation pattern and efficiency. The antenna with a total dimension of 80 mm × 50 mm × 0.6 mm (0.12λ0×0.07λ0 × 0.001λ0 at 433 MHz) has a gain of 2 dBi, 1.9 dBi, and 1.9 dBi at 433 MHz, 868 MHz, and 915 MHz, respectively, with an omnidirectional H-plane radiation pattern and a radiation efficiency above 90% across the three frequency bands. The fabrication and measurement of the antenna have been carried out, and the results of simulation and measurements are compared. The agreement among the simulation and measurement results confirms the design’s accuracy and the antenna’s suitability for LoRa IoT applications, particularly in providing a compact, flexible, and energy efficient communication solution for different LoRa frequency bands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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17 pages, 8822 KiB  
Article
Design of Wideband High-Gain Patch Antenna Array for High-Temperature Applications
by Ruibo Li, Peng Li, Paolo Rocca, Aarón Ángel Salas Sánchez, Liwei Song, Xinghua Li, Wanye Xu and Zijiao Fan
Sensors 2023, 23(8), 3821; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23083821 - 8 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4888
Abstract
A low-profile, wideband, and high-gain antenna array, based on a novel double-H-shaped slot microstrip patch radiating element and robust against high temperature variations, is proposed in this work. The antenna element was designed to operate in the frequency range between 12 GHz and [...] Read more.
A low-profile, wideband, and high-gain antenna array, based on a novel double-H-shaped slot microstrip patch radiating element and robust against high temperature variations, is proposed in this work. The antenna element was designed to operate in the frequency range between 12 GHz and 18.25 GHz, with a 41.3% fractional bandwidth (FBW) and an obtained peak gain equal to 10.2 dBi. The planar array, characterized by a feed network with a flexible 1 to 16 power divider, comprised 4 × 4 antenna elements and generated a pattern with a peak gain of 19.1 dBi at 15.5 GHz. An antenna array prototype was fabricated, and the measurements showed good agreement with the numerical simulations as the manufactured antenna operated in the range of 11.4–17 GHz, with a 39.4% FBW, and the peak gain at 15.5 GHz was 18.7 dBi. The high-temperature simulated and experimental results, performed in a temperature chamber, demonstrated that the array performance was stable in a wide temperature range, from −50 °C to 150 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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16 pages, 22307 KiB  
Article
Miniaturized On-Ground 2.4 GHz IoT LTCC Chip Antenna and Its Positioning on a Ground Plane
by Jaime Molins-Benlliure, Marta Cabedo-Fabrés, Eva Antonino-Daviu and Miguel Ferrando-Bataller
Sensors 2023, 23(6), 3007; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23063007 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2683
Abstract
This paper presents a very low-profile on-ground chip antenna with a total volume of 0.075λ0× 0.056λ0× 0.019λ0 (at f0 = 2.4 GHz). The proposed design is a corrugated (accordion-like) planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) [...] Read more.
This paper presents a very low-profile on-ground chip antenna with a total volume of 0.075λ0× 0.056λ0× 0.019λ0 (at f0 = 2.4 GHz). The proposed design is a corrugated (accordion-like) planar inverted F antenna (PIFA) embedded in low-loss glass ceramic material (DuPont GreenTape 9k7 with ϵr = 7.1 and tanδ = 0.0009) fabricated with LTCC technology. The antenna does not require a clearance area on the ground plane where the antenna is located, and it is proposed for 2.4 GHz IoT applications for extreme size-limited devices. It shows a 25 MHz impedance bandwidth (for S11 < −6 dB), which means a relative bandwidth of 1%). A study in terms of matching and total efficiency is performed for several size ground planes with the antenna installed at different positions. The use of characteristic modes analysis (CMA) and the correlation between modal and total radiated fields is performed to demonstrate the optimum position of the antenna. Results show high-frequency stability and a total efficiency difference of up to 5.3 dB if the antenna is not placed at the optimum position. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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17 pages, 14124 KiB  
Article
Coherently Radiating Periodic Structures for Feeding Concentric Rings Array with Reduced Number of Phase Shifters
by Brian Sanchez, Marco A. Panduro, David H. Covarrubias, Alberto Reyna and Elizvan Juárez
Sensors 2022, 22(23), 9528; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22239528 - 6 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1639
Abstract
This paper presents the application of CORPS (coherently radiating periodic structures) for feeding CRA (concentric rings array) with a reduced number of phase shifters. The proposed design technique for the structure of concentric rings provides a better scanning capability with respect to other [...] Read more.
This paper presents the application of CORPS (coherently radiating periodic structures) for feeding CRA (concentric rings array) with a reduced number of phase shifters. The proposed design technique for the structure of concentric rings provides a better scanning capability with respect to other existing configurations. This design technique utilizes 2 × 3 or 4 × 7 CORPS networks depending on the configuration or the number of antenna elements in the phased array system. These CORPS networks are set strategically in the feeding network to provide several advantages with respect to others in the scanning capability and the reduction of the number of phase shifters of the array system. The contribution of this paper is the full antenna system design of phased CRA for analyzing scanning and the reduction of phase shifters. The proposed phased array reduces the number of phase shifter devices in CRA for a scanning range of ±25° in the elevation plane. Differential evolution (DE) was applied to optimize the amplitudes of the proposed system. Several design cases were analyzed using full-wave simulation results to verify the phased array model and to take mutual coupling into account. Full-wave simulation results provide radiation patterns with low SLL in all scanning directions. The proposed phased array was validated by experimental measurements of the full antenna system prototype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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17 pages, 7173 KiB  
Article
A New Scheme of Applying CORPS and Crossovers to Reduce the Number of Phase Shifters in Antenna Arrays
by Gilberto Calvillo, Marco A. Panduro, Brian Sanchez and Alberto Reyna
Sensors 2022, 22(21), 8207; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22218207 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1624
Abstract
This paper presents a new scheme of applying CORPS (coherently radiating periodic structures) for reducing the number of phase shifters in linear antenna arrays. This scheme can be seen as a combination of the properties of two techniques: CORPS and butler. The proposed [...] Read more.
This paper presents a new scheme of applying CORPS (coherently radiating periodic structures) for reducing the number of phase shifters in linear antenna arrays. This scheme can be seen as a combination of the properties of two techniques: CORPS and butler. The proposed system applies an interleaving of several blocks of 2 × 3 CORPS networks. This interleaving of two stages of 2 × 3 CORPS networks is made in a convenient way to provide the required progressive phase for beam-scanning and the level of amplitude excitations necessary for achieving the radiation characteristics of low SLL. Interesting results are provided based on experimental measurements and full-wave simulations to analyze and evaluate the performance of the feeding network based on CORPS and the reduction capability of the number of phase shifters in the antenna system. The proposed design methodology achieves a reduction capability of 66% in the number of phase shifters used in linear antenna arrays. This reduction in the complexity of the antenna system is reached maintaining a peak SLL of −22 dB with scanning ranges of until ±25°. A good design option is provided to simplify the complexity of the feeding network in antenna array applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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Review

Jump to: Research

23 pages, 495 KiB  
Review
Radar-Based Heart Cardiac Activity Measurements: A Review
by Alvaro Frazao, Pedro Pinho and Daniel Albuquerque
Sensors 2024, 24(23), 7654; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24237654 - 29 Nov 2024
Viewed by 274
Abstract
In recent years, with the increased interest in smart home technology and the increased need to remotely monitor patients due to the pandemic, demand for contactless systems for vital sign measurements has also been on the rise. One of these kinds of systems [...] Read more.
In recent years, with the increased interest in smart home technology and the increased need to remotely monitor patients due to the pandemic, demand for contactless systems for vital sign measurements has also been on the rise. One of these kinds of systems are Doppler radar systems. Their design is composed of several choices that could possibly have a significant impact on their overall performance, more specifically those focused on the measurement of cardiac activity. This review, conducted using works obtained from relevant scientific databases, aims to understand the impact of these design choices on the performance of systems measuring either heart rate (HR) or heart rate variability (HRV). To that end, an analysis of the performance based on hardware architecture, carrier frequency, and measurement distance was conducted for works focusing on both of the aforementioned cardiac parameters, and signal processing trends were discussed. What was found was that the system architecture and signal processing algorithms had the most impact on the performance, with FMCW being the best performing architecture, whereas factors like carrier frequency did not have an impact.This means that newer systems can focus on cheaper, lower-frequency systems without any performance degradation, which will make research easier. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Antenna Technology in Sensors II)
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