A Novel Radiator for a 2.4 GHz Wireless Unit to Monitor Rail Stress and Strain

Author

Browne, Kenneth E. ; Chen, Chi-Chih ; Volakis, John L.

Author_Institution

Ohio State Univ., Columbus

Volume

56

Issue

3

fYear

2008

fDate

3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

887

Lastpage

892

Abstract

A novel mobile antenna structure is presented to relay stress and strain data on railroad tracks. The antenna structure is a unique design employing dual probe-fed radiating cavities integrated with a Zigbee IEEE 802.15.4 wireless transceiver. This structure is mounted against the rail web and has a compact design to ensure survivability. A dielectric filler is employed inside each radiating cavity to minimize cavity width and protect the integrity of the mobile antenna structure. Measurements are given for a fabricated prototype to verify simulated performance characteristics.

Keywords

UHF antennas; antenna feeds; antenna radiation patterns; mobile antennas; railway communication; stress analysis; transceivers; Zigbee IEEE 802.15.4 wireless transceiver; dielectric filler; dual probe-fed radiating cavities; frequency 2.4 GHz; mobile antenna structure; rail stress monitoring; railroad tracks; strain monitoring; Capacitive sensors; Dielectrics; Mobile antennas; Monitoring; Protection; Rails; Relays; Stress; Transceivers; ZigBee; IEEE 802.15.4; ISM 2.4 GHz band; Zigbee transceiver; cavity radiator; rail stress; wireless sensor;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Antennas and Propagation, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-926X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TAP.2008.916976

Filename

4463884