A Novel Compact Dual‐Band Multi‐Feed Beam Steerable Antenna for WBAN Applications
Padmathilagam Sambandam, Malathi Kanagasabai, Mohammed Gulam Nabi Alsath, Shanmathi Shanmuganathan, Sandeep Kumar Palaniswamy, Arunkumar ShrivastavABSTRACT
In this letter, a novel compact dual‐band multi‐feed beam‐steerable antenna for Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) applications is proposed. The antenna occupies a compact size of 0.23 λ 0 × 0.23 λ 0 × 0.002 λ 0 and operates at 2.45 GHz (ISM/Bluetooth) and 5.2 GHz (ISM/WLAN) application bands. The radiator is excited using coaxial feed ports placed along its diagonals, enabling efficient power delivery and beam switching. Single‐beam radiation is achieved by exciting an individual port, while dual‐beam radiation is realized through simultaneous excitation of opposite ports. This capability allows the antenna to support concurrent sensing and communication tasks. The proposed design supports multiple WBAN communication modes, including on‐body (omni‐azimuthal) and off‐body communication (eight single beams and two dual beams). The antenna is fabricated and experimentally validated, and measured results show good agreement with simulations. Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) analysis confirms compliance with the FCC limits. The proposed design exhibits stable impedance matching, good port isolation exceeding 15 dB, acceptable gain of 3.5/5.9 dBi, and controlled radiation characteristics across both operating bands, making it a promising candidate for WBAN applications.