Laptop Structure Effects on an Integrated Omnidirectional Wrapped Microstrip Antenna

In this paper the effects of a laptop structure on an ISM 2.4 GHz Omnidirectional Wrapped Microstrip Antenna (OWMA) are studied. The antenna parameters are evaluated both with numerical simulations and experimentally. In the experimental setup a real commercial laptop has been used. It is shown that the antenna input impedance is not affected by the presence of the keyboard structure, however, the antenna radiation pattern is significantly affected. The omnidirectionallity of the radiation pattern is strongly disturbed in the front hemisphere of the screen, while in the back hemisphere it remains quasi-omnidirectional.