A Textile Antenna based on High-Performance Fabrics

This paper reports a multilayer textile microstrip patch antenna for integration into protective clothing for professional workers since it is made out of a high performance aramid fabric. It is designed to operate in the 2.45 GHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band for short range communication to transmit vital signs, activity and environmental conditions to a nearby base station. Electrotextiles are used for the antenna patch and ground plane. Integration of the textile antenna into the protective clothing requires a finite ground plane and reliable operation in the vicinity of the body. Furthermore the patch may bend. A rectangular ring topology is proposed to preserve the antenna characteristics in real-life applications. This research paves the way for a new generation of protective clothing.