A flexible broadband antenna for IoT applications

摘要

A flexible broadband antenna with high radiation efficiency for the Internet of Things (IoT) applications is presented. The design is based on a U-shaped and a triangular-shaped radiator with two tuning stubs. A 50 omega coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line is employed to feed the antenna. The proposed antenna is fabricated on a flexible substrate from a composite synthesized by mixing natural rubber with SiO(2)as a filler. The radiating elements, along with the CPW, are built using a highly conductive woven fabric. Results show that the antenna has a simulated and measured impedance bandwidth of 0.856-2.513 GHz and covers the most commonly used wireless communication standards and technologies for IoT applications. The radiation efficiency of the antenna reaches over 75% throughout the operating frequency band with satisfactory radiation patterns and gain. The flexible antenna was also tested under bending conditions. The presented results demonstrate that bending has a minor effect on the antenna performance within the target frequency range. The measured results show a good agreement with simulations.