Stitched transmission lines for wearable RF devices

Abstract

A novel stitched transmission line for wearable devices has been manufactured and tested to measure its scattering parameters from 0.04 to 4 GHz. The stitched transmission line which is 150 mm long consists of an inner conductor surrounded by a tubular insulating layer. For shielding purpose, the structure is stitched onto a denim material with a conductive thread with the aid of a novel manufacturing technique using a standard hardware. The S-Parameters were investigated with three different stitch angles 85 ; 65 ; and 31 through simulation and experiments, demonstrating that the stitched transmission line can work usefully and consistently from 0.04 to 4 GHz.

Washable Stitched Transmission Line for Wearable Applications

“…In this paper, the washability of a stitched transmission line proposed in [5] was put to test. The purpose here is to determine the deterioration of the frequency dependence of the scattering parameters after exposing the stitched transmission line to washing cycles for frequencies up to 4GHz.…”

“…While in [4], the washability of conductive threads used in constructing traces and touch sensors in wearable electronic systems was also explored. In [5], a stitched transmission line constructed using a sewing machine, with the aid of a novel presser foot was proposed for broadband operation using the idea of a braided coaxial cable. In this study, the washability of the stitched transmission line proposed in [5] is been explored.…”

“…In [5], a stitched transmission line constructed using a sewing machine, with the aid of a novel presser foot was proposed for broadband operation using the idea of a braided coaxial cable. In this study, the washability of the stitched transmission line proposed in [5] is been explored. The aim here is to determine the deterioration of the frequency dependence of the stitched transmission line after subjecting it to washing cycles for a frequency range of 0.04 to 4 .…”

Impact of Various Wearability Conditions on the Performances of Meander-Line Z-Shaped Embroidered Antenna

“…Among various techniques available for the fabrication of textile-based wearable antennas, such as inkjet-printing, screen-printing, and 3D printing, the embroidery technique was chosen because of its high speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Previous works on feasibility of using digital embroidery and conducting threads to create transmission lines and potentially antennas were investigated in [41,42]. is technology has proven a more flexible manufacturing technique, especially for flexible and textile antennas and the integration of high-frequency systems into clothing.…”

Effect of Cyclical Bending and Rubbing on the Characteristic Impedance of Textile Signal Lines

“…Today, there are many methods for making textile signal lines that can replace conventional cables. These methods have been widely described in the literature [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Textile signal lines (TSLs) can be used to transmit not only constant or low-frequency signals but also high-frequency signals [17].…”