Multifunctional Reconfigurable Wearable Textile Antennas Using Coplanar Reconfiguration Modules

Abstract

A concept to realize multifunctional reconfigurable antennas for wearable applications is proposed. The general structure simply consists of a textile circular patch with three varactor-loaded reconfigurable modules evenly distributed around its edge. Based on the proposed concept, a frequency- and pattern-reconfigurable antenna and a frequency- and polarization-reconfigurable wearable textile antenna are demonstrated. The first design is able to switch between broadside and omnidirectional radiation modes with frequency fractional tuning ranges of 57.3% and 27.2%, respectively. The second design radiates in the broadside mode with the ability to switch its linear polarization between 0°, 120°, or 240°, with a frequency tuning range of 31.9% at each of states. The antennas are fabricated and measured which successfully validate the operation concept.