Fabrication and Characterization of Flexible Spray-Coated Antennas

Thielens, Arno; Deckman, Igal; Aminzadeh, Reza; Arias, Ana Claudia; Rabaey, Jan M.

doi:10.1109/access.2018.2876286

Cited by 21 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…We have used screen-printed, dipole antennas with a free-space power reflection coefficient (S 11 ) below −10 dB at 915 MHz according to the design presented in [37]. Dipole antennas are frequently used in UHF RFID tags [38].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Study of On-Body Radio-Frequency Links in the 420 MHz–2.4 GHz Range

Thielens

Benarrouch

Wielandt

et al. 2018

Sensors

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While there exists a wide variety of radio frequency (RF) technologies amenable for usage in Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs), which have been studied separately before, it is currently still unclear how their performance compares in true on-body scenarios. In this paper, a single reference on-body scenario—that is, propagation along the arm—is used to experimentally compare six distinct RF technologies (between 420 MHz and 2.4 GHz) in terms of path loss. To further quantify on-body path loss, measurements for five different on-body scenarios are presented as well. To compensate for the effect of often large path losses, two mitigation strategies to (dynamically) improve on-body links are introduced and experimentally verified: beam steering using a phased array, and usage of on-body RF repeaters. The results of this study can serve as a tool for WBAN designers to aid in the selection of the right RF frequency and technology for their application.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Study of On-Body Radio-Frequency Links in the 420 MHz–2.4 GHz Range

Thielens

Benarrouch

Wielandt

et al. 2018

Sensors

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“…The performance of a physical antenna depends on its fabrication method. Many methods of printing have been used to make RF systems and antennas 2 , 51 , including screen-printing 32 , 52 , gravure-printing 53 , spray-coating 29 and inkjet-printing 3 , 8 , 54 . Using our first antenna design, Type I (see Supplementary Figure A.1a ), we characterized the impact of printing technique on antenna performance by printing the same antenna with four different techniques: inkjet printing, stencil printing, spray coating, and screen printing.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The antennas were designed using numerical simulations in the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation software Sim4Life (ZMT, Zürich, Switzerland). The dipoles were developed based on the designs presented in 29 . The dimensions of the dipole traces were adapted to achieve a target power reflection coefficient < − 10 dB in the UHF RFID frequency band (902–928 MHz in the USA) in reference to 50 Ohms.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Printed, flexible, compact UHF-RFID sensor tags enabled by hybrid electronics

Baumbauer

Anderson

Ting

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Sensor data can be wirelessly transmitted from simple, battery-less tags using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). RFID sensor tags consist of an antenna, a radio frequency integrated circuit chip (RFIC), and at least one sensor. An ideal tag can communicate over a long distance and be seamlessly integrated onto everyday objects. However, miniaturized antenna designs often have lower performance. Here we demonstrate compact, flexible sensor tags with read range comparable to that of conventional rigid tags. We compare fabrication techniques for flexible antennas and demonstrate that screen and stencil printing are both suitable for fabricating antennas; these different techniques are most useful at different points in the design cycle. We characterize two versions of flexible, screen printed folded dipoles and a meandered monopole operating in the 915 MHz band. Finally, we use these antennas to create passive sensor tags and demonstrate over the air communication of sensor data. These tags could be used to form a network of printed, flexible, passive, interactive sensor tags.

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“…Apart from that, it is a low cost and a simple fabrication method. In this method, the liquid metal was combined with smart textiles to obtain a pattern [ 250 , 251 ]. In [ 252 ], various conductive shapes were designed using the spray method, but these shapes were not utilized within the RF scope.…”

Section: Fabrication Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances of Wearable Antennas in Materials, Fabrication Methods, Designs, and Their Applications: State-of-the-Art

et al. 2020

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The demand for wearable technologies has grown tremendously in recent years. Wearable antennas are used for various applications, in many cases within the context of wireless body area networks (WBAN). In WBAN, the presence of the human body poses a significant challenge to the wearable antennas. Specifically, such requirements are required to be considered on a priority basis in the wearable antennas, such as structural deformation, precision, and accuracy in fabrication methods and their size. Various researchers are active in this field and, accordingly, some significant progress has been achieved recently. This article attempts to critically review the wearable antennas especially in light of new materials and fabrication methods, and novel designs, such as miniaturized button antennas and miniaturized single and multi-band antennas, and their unique smart applications in WBAN. Finally, the conclusion has been drawn with respect to some future directions.

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Fabrication and Characterization of Flexible Spray-Coated Antennas

Cited by 21 publications

References 38 publications

A Comparative Study of On-Body Radio-Frequency Links in the 420 MHz–2.4 GHz Range

A Comparative Study of On-Body Radio-Frequency Links in the 420 MHz–2.4 GHz Range

Printed, flexible, compact UHF-RFID sensor tags enabled by hybrid electronics

Recent Advances of Wearable Antennas in Materials, Fabrication Methods, Designs, and Their Applications: State-of-the-Art

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