Search Results (3)

In this paper, an ultra-thin logo antenna (LGA) operating in multiple frequency bands for Internet of Vehicles (IoVs) applications was proposed. The designed antenna can cover five frequency bands, 0.86–1.01 GHz (16.0%) for LoRa communication, 1.3–1.36 GHz (4.6%) for GPS, 2.32–2.71 GHz (16.3%) for Bluetooth communication, 3.63–3.89 GHz (6.9%) for 5G communication, and 5.27–5.66 GHz (7.1%) for WLAN, as the simulation indicated. The initial antenna started with a modified coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed circular disk monopole radiator. To create extra current paths and further excite other modes, the disk was hollowed out into the shape of the car logo of the Chinese smart EV brand XPENG composing four rhombic parasitic patches. Next, four triangular parasitic patches were inserted to improve the impedance matching of the band at 5.6 GHz. Finally, four metallic vias were loaded for adjusting resonant points and the return loss reduction. Designed on a flexible substrate, the antenna can easily bend to a certain degree in complex vehicular communication for IoV. The measured results under horizontal and vertical bending showed the LGA can operate in a bending state while maintaining good performance. The proposed LGA addresses the issue of applying one single multi-band antenna to allow vehicles to communicate over several channels, which relieves the need for a sophisticated antenna network. Full article

In recent years, the interest in the Internet of Things (IoT) has been growing because this technology bridges the gap between the physical and virtual world, by connecting different objects and people through communication networks, in order to improve the quality of life. New IoT wearable devices require new types of antennas with unique shapes, made on unconventional substrates, which can be unobtrusively integrated into clothes and accessories. In this paper, we propose a fully textile dual-band logo antenna integrated with a reflector for application in IoT wearable devices. The proposed antenna’s radiating elements have been shaped to mimic the logo of South-West University “Neofit Rilski” for an unobtrusive integration in accessories. A reflector has been mounted on the opposite side of the textile substrate to reduce the radiation from the wearable antenna and improve its robustness against the loading effect from nearby objects. Two antenna prototypes were fabricated and tested in free space as well as on three different objects (human body, notebook, and laptop). Moreover, in the two frequency ranges of interest a radiation efficiency of 25–38% and 62–90% was achieved. Moreover, due to the reflector, the maximum local specific-absorption rate, which averaged over 10 g mass in the human-body phantom, was found to be equal to 0.5182 W/kg at 2.4 GHz and 0.16379 W/kg at 5.47 GHz. Additionally, the results from the performed measurement-campaign collecting received the signal-strength indicator and packet loss for an off-body scenario in real-world use, demonstrating that the backpack-integrated antenna prototype can form high-quality off-body communication channels. Full article

We present a new methodology to create colorful textile antennas that can be embroidered within logos or other aesthetic shapes. Conductive threads (e-threads) have already been used in former embroidery unicolor approaches as attributed to the corresponding conductive material, viz. silver or copper. But so far, they have not been adapted to ‘print’ colorful textile antennas. For the first time, we propose an approach to create colorful electronic textile shapes. In brief, the embroidery process uses an e-thread in the bobbin case of the sewing machine to embroider the antenna on the back side of the garment. Concurrently, a colorful assistant yarn is threaded through the embroidery needle of the embroidery machine and used to secure or ‘couch’ the e-threads onto the fabric. In doing so, a colorful shape is generated on the front side of the garment. The proposed antennas can be unobtrusively integrated into clothing or other accessories for a wide range of applications (e.g., wireless communications, Radio Frequency IDentification, sensing). Full article