This paper presents a design of an antenna in the complex environment of the horse hoof for sub-gigahertz (868 MHz) communication. The influence of the leg and the ground on the performance were examined by means of finitedifference time-domain simulations. Furthermore, an adaptation was presented to increase the efficiency of the antenna. The first device has a center frequency of 858 MHz and a bandwidth of 99.5 MHz. The total efficiency is 3.12%. Adding the ground to the model results in the ground absorbing most of the radiated power which leads to a total efficiency drop to 1.6%. The center frequency stays the same (at 862 MHz). The bandwidth decreases to 70 MHz. When the horseshoe is connected to the device, the antenna is not tuned anymore, yet the the total efficiency stays 3.08%. This shows that connecting the device to the horseshoe leads to better radiation efficiency. When using LoRa technology, this setup can reach 1631 m if the hoof is in the air. When the hoof is on the ground, only a range of 115 m is estimated.
Electronic boluses with biotelemetry capabilities enable wireless monitoring of animals ' physiological data (e.g., temperature, pH). The aim of this study was to design and experimentally validate a novel multiband (434, 868, 1400) MHz conformal patch antenna for in-body biotelemetry applications for cows. The optimal frequency band was studied prior to the design of the antenna, based on the dielectric measurements of the antenna environment (i.e., rumen). The antenna was integrated in a 13.5 cm ×3 cm bolus and simulated in a 300 mm spherical phantom with electromagnetic properties of cows' rumen fluid. The proposed antenna presented a high performance with a realized gain of (-38.5; -41.2; -45.7) dBi and a radiation efficiency of (0.012%; 0.0045%; 0.001%) at 434, 868, and 1400 MHz, respectively. Following the numerical analysis and optimization, a prototype was manufactured to experimentally evaluate the antenna performance. Good agreement was obtained between the measurements and simulations both for reflection coefficients and radiation performance. The measured gain was -36.3 dBi, -40.4 dBi, and -43.6 dBi, at 434, 868, and 1400 MHz, respectively. The proposed multiband antenna will enable the development of a new generation of boluses for animal biotelemetry applications to enhance the performance of the animal monitoring systems.
This paper describes the design of an antenna embedded in a hoof pad. The operating frequencies are within the GSM900 band. The dimensions are 40 mm x 25 mm x 1.55 mm. During the characterization of the antenna, the dynamic and harsh environment of a horse hoof is taken into account. The antenna impedance is validated numerically and experimentally to be robust to these changes.
This paper describes the exploration of the combined antenna–channel model for a horse hoof. An antenna of 25 mm × 40 mm is designed in the ISM 868 MHz band. During the characterization and design of the antenna, the dynamic and harsh environment of the horse hoof is taken into account throughout every step of the procedure because it is impossible to de-embed the antenna from its environment. The antenna and channel model are verified extensively by measurements in phantom and ex vivo. The antenna is verified to be robust against changes in the morphology of the horse’s hoof up to 50%. The dynamic environment was captured by considering different soil types and air, and the design was verified to be resilient against changes herein. The antenna performs well within the targeted band, with a fractional bandwidth of 8% and a gain of −2 dBi. Furthermore, a path loss model was constructed for a typical barn environment, and the antenna reaches a range of 250 m in the studied environment based on the LoRa technology. This research is important for monitoring horse health.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.