Abstract
A novel wideband (WB) 3D-printed elliptical double-ridged horn (EDRH) antenna filled with a high-dielectric material (i.e., a mixture of the paraffin and titanium oxide (TiO 2 )) is proposed for medical monitoring systems. The antenna has been designed and optimized to operate in the frequency range (2-6 GHz) to satisfy an optimal penetration level and to maintain a WB operation, which results in a high-resolution detection. The proposed antenna is embedded into a high-dielectric material to miniaturize its size and to further reduce the reflections due to mismatch with the body. The antenna was tested on tissue models consisting of two layers (i.e., skin and muscle). The reflection coefficients of the antenna, when it is on the modeled tissue, have been generated and compared with the reference of -6 dB. The obtained results show that the antenna benefits from the 4 GHz of bandwidth with a gain of 5-8 dB within the operating region.
Highlights
The WIDEBAND (WB) technique is a promising wireless technology, which uses radio waves for transferring data over a very high bandwidth; i.e., typically equal or more than 500 MHz
Stating the UWB technique principles, it is limited to the specific frequency band by the authorities, which may smear a limitation in the biomedical application that aims to scan inside the human body, due to the demand of lower frequency and better penetration depth [3]
It should be noted that the air gap between the antenna and body can be eliminated using the semi-solid mixture that have more or less the same dielectric constant. This removes the effect of the air gap in the real experiment. This novel method of implementing a materialfilled antenna could be used in other biomedical applications that aim to scan inside the body, e.g. in abdominal fat measurement [35]
Summary
The WIDEBAND (WB) technique is a promising wireless technology, which uses radio waves for transferring data over a very high bandwidth; i.e., typically equal or more than 500 MHz. The elliptical double-ridged horn (EDRH) antenna was first introduced in 1950 [7], the concept of the ridged-waveguides was introduced earlier in 1947 [8] This antenna has attracted engineers and researchers in the radar field, based on its advantages such as large bandwidth, and high gain/directivity [9]–[11]. The antenna suffers from higher fabrication cost due to the shape complexity, and the large aperture for low-frequency applications (2–6 GHz). Operating at this frequency range is vital for selecting an appropriate penetration depth on the human body.
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