A quarter mode SIW antenna for short-range wireless communications

A wearable textile antenna based on the fundamental mode of a quarter-mode substrate integrated waveguide is presented for short-range wireless applications. The antenna operates in the UHF frequency band, at 868 MHz, has a compact size, and requires minimal manufacturing complexity and a very low production cost. Moreover, it presents a good isolation from the human body, and a significant robustness with respect to deformation. If compared with its substrate integrate waveguide resonator counterpart, the proposed antenna size has been reduced of 75%, without degrading its performance. The proposed structure has been simulated using CST Microwave Studio, and its gain is around 2 dBi, with a broadside radiation pattern. All these features make it very promising for short-range wireless communications.