A Review of Clothing Components in the Development of Wearable Textile Antennas: Design and Experimental Procedure

Abstract

Wearable antenna systems have attracted significant research efforts during the last decade and a rich pool of review papers can be found in the literature. Each scientific work contributes to various fields of wearable technology focusing, mainly, on constructing materials, manufacturing techniques, targeting applications, and miniaturization methods. In this review paper, we examine the use of clothing components in wearable antenna technology. By the term “clothing components” (CC), dressmaking accessories/materials such as buttons, snap-on buttons, Velcro tapes, or zips are considered. In light of their utilization in the development of wearable antennas, the clothing components can play a triple role: (i) that of a clothing item, (ii) that of an antenna part or the main radiator, and (iii) that of an integration means of the antennas into clothes. One of their advantages is that they consist of conductive elements, integrated into the clothes, which can be effectively exploited as operating parts of wearable antennas. This review paper includes classification and description of the clothing components used so far in the development of wearable textile antennas with an emphasis on designs, applications and performance. Furthermore, a step-by-step design procedure for textile antennas that use clothing components as a functional part of their configuration is recorded, reviewed, and described in detail. The design procedure takes into account the detailed geometrical models required for the clothing components and the way they are embedded into the wearable antenna structure. In addition to the design procedure, aspects of experimental procedures (parameters, scenarios, and processes) that should be followed in wearable textile antennas with an emphasis on antennas that use clothing components (e.g., repeatability measurements) are presented. Finally, the potential of textile technology through the application of clothing components into wearable antennas is outlined.

Reversible thermochromic fibers with excellent elasticity and hydrophobicity for wearable temperature sensors

“…[9][10][11] To improve user convenience, wearable temperature sensors are evolving from accessories that are carried by the user to an integrated form of clothing. [12][13][14][15] For sensors to be applied in the form of clothing, in addition to requiring a simple measurement method, external temperature changes must be accurately sensed and effectively displayed, and stable sensing characteristics must be maintained via resistance to water and washing. [16][17][18] To date, methods to fabricate clothing-integrated or bertype wearable temperature sensors include attaching commercially available sensors to existing clothing, attaching conductive llers to the fabric, and directly converting conductive polymers into bers by electrospinning.…”

A compact smiley shaped flexible patch antenna for ISM band applications

“…As a result, flexible dielectric materials were used to create wearable flexible antennas, which were also built employing flexible conductive materials for the patch and ground plane. 13 The main requirements for wearable materials are their small size, flexibility, robustness, and low power needs while maintaining the wearer's comfort Musa et al. 14 For the development of flexible antennas, textile wearable materials are preferred over other materials.…”

Functional analysis in the body environment for a circularly polarized hybrid reconfigurable textile antenna

“…Reconfigurability in antennas refers to the ability of an antenna to dynamically change or adapt its operational characteristics, such as resonance frequency, radiation pattern, or polarization [6]. The most practical option for achieving antenna reconfigurability is frequency reconfigurability.…”