Memon, A.W.; Malengier, B.; Van Torre, P.; Langenhove, L.V. A Lattice-Hinge-Design-Based Stretchable Textile Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Strain Sensing at 2.45 GHz. Sensors2023, 23, 8946.
Memon, A.W.; Malengier, B.; Van Torre, P.; Langenhove, L.V. A Lattice-Hinge-Design-Based Stretchable Textile Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Strain Sensing at 2.45 GHz. Sensors 2023, 23, 8946.
Memon, A.W.; Malengier, B.; Van Torre, P.; Langenhove, L.V. A Lattice-Hinge-Design-Based Stretchable Textile Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Strain Sensing at 2.45 GHz. Sensors2023, 23, 8946.
Memon, A.W.; Malengier, B.; Van Torre, P.; Langenhove, L.V. A Lattice-Hinge-Design-Based Stretchable Textile Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Strain Sensing at 2.45 GHz. Sensors 2023, 23, 8946.
Abstract
The manuscript presents a novel approach to designing and fabricating a stretchable patch antenna designed for strain sensing and wireless communication of sensing data at the same time. The challenge lies in combining flexible and stretchable textile materials with different physical mor-phologies, which can hinder adhesion among multiple layers when stacked up, resisting the overall stretchability of the antenna. The proposed antenna design overcomes this challenge by incorpo-rating a lattice hinge pattern in the non-stretchable conductive e-textile, transforming it into a stretchable structure. The innovative design includes the longitudinal cuts inserted in both the patch and the ground plane of the antenna, allowing it to stretch along in the perpendicular direction. Implementing the lattice hinge pattern over the conductive layers of the proposed patch antenna in combination with a 2 mm thick Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate achieves a maximum of 25% stretchability compared to its counterpart antenna without lattice hinge design. The stretchable textile antenna resonates around a frequency of 2.45 GHz and exhibits a linear resonant frequency shift when strained up to 25%. This characteristic makes it suitable for use as a strain sensor. Ad-ditionally, the lattice hinge design enhances the conformability and flexibility of the antenna compared to a solid patch antenna. The realized antenna gains in the E and H-plane were measured as 2.21 dBi and 2.34 dBi, respectively. Overall, the presented design offers a simple and effective solution for fabricating a stretchable textile patch antenna for normal use or as a sensing element, opening up possibilities for applications in communication and sensing fields.
Copyright:
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