Optimized UHF antenna design, simulation, implementation methods of HVAC systems

Design, simulation, implementation, and measurement of three variations of an F-antenna that can be interfaced with an electric machine in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) range for monitoring and control of an HVAC system wirelessly are presented for the first time. The development is broken down into three stages: ideal antenna optimization and simulation, implementing and testing antennas in an HVAC system, and research into the effects of varying environmental and orientation aspects of the antenna subsystem. The antennas are designed and simulated using the 3D electromagnetic simulator, Ansoft High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). The performance of each antenna including gain, bandwidth and directivity are compared for various conditions. In addition, link quality indicator (LQI) tests were conducted to measure the quality of the communication link for each antenna when they are located in HVAC system. It is shown that the UHF antennas presented in this paper can be used to control and monitor HVAC systems wirelessly using the integrated approach as detailed in this paper. Furthermore, it is also shown that optimization of the antennas via electromagnetic simulator such as HFSS facilitates the design process and improves the performance of the antennas that will be interfaced with electric machines in HVAC systems.