Wearable Antennas for Body-Centric Wireless Communications

Koichi Ito and Nozomi Haga

Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, Japan

E-mail: n_haga@graduate.chiba-u.jp
Abstract
In recent years, a study on body-centric wireless communications has become an active
and attractive area of research because of their various applications such as e-healthcare,
support systems for specialized occupations, personal communications, and so on.
Whereas UHF bands are subjects of interest especially in Europe and USA, relatively low
frequency bands below several megahertz are of great interest especially in Japan.
Hence, all of the prospective frequencies are in an extremely wide range, and an objective
idea on how to select a right frequency band for individual applications is required.
Currently in our laboratory, we have been studying on frequency dependence of basic
characteristics of wearable antennas as well as body-centric wireless communication
channels in the range of HF to UHF (3 MHz 3 GHz). There are experimental,
analytical, and numerical ways to clarify the basic characteristics of the antennas and
communication channels. In experiments, we have to ensure impedance matching at
certain frequency points because of sensitivity limitations; therefore, it is hard to obtain
such broadband characteristics. Theoretical analysis is useful to understand physical
mechanism; however, complex geometry and motion of the human body cannot be
modeled. By contrast to them, numerical simulation can solve complex problems with
relative ease. For example, Hall et al. have shown that the dynamics of the human body
can be modeled by dividing the motion into several frames, and the simulated results
agree with the measured results. Also in our study, observations of channel
characteristics are conducted by employing numerical simulations.
In this paper, firstly, electric field distributions around the human body wearing a small
top-loaded monopole antenna are numerically calculated and compared in a wide range
of HF to UHF bands. Then, received open voltages at receiving antennas which are
equipped at several different points on the human body are numerically investigated. The
received open voltages are also numerically calculated and compared with several
different postures of the human body. Statistic characterization and experimental
validation will be necessary in further studies.

Introduction
In recent years, body-centric wireless communications have become an active area of
research because of their various applications such as e-healthcare, support systems for
specialized occupations, and personal communications [1][7]. Whereas UHF bands are
subjects of interest especially in Europe, relatively low frequency bands below several
megahertz are of great interest especially in Japan [4], [5]. Hence, all of the prospective
frequencies are in an extremely wide range, and an objective idea on how to select
frequency for individual applications is required. There are experimental, analytical, and

978-1-4244-6418-0/10/$26.00 2010 IEEE

129

numerical ways to clarify the channels. In experiments, we have to ensure impedance

matching at certain frequency point because of sensitivity limitations; therefore, it is hard
to obtain broadband characteristics. Theoretical analysis is useful to understand physical
mechanism; however, complex geometry and motion of the human body cannot be
modeled. By contrast to them, numerical simulation can solve complex problems with
relative ease. For example, Hall et al. have shown that the dynamics of the body can be
modeled by dividing the motion into several frames, and the simulated results agree with
the measured results [6]. Also in our study, observations of channel characteristics are
conducted by employing numerical simulations.

Numerical Modeling of Antennas and Human Body

Since extremely wide frequency range is used in this study, an antenna should remain as
simple and identical as possible over the range. For this requirement, a typical top-loaded
monopole antenna shown in Fig. 1 is used both for transmitting and receiving. The
antenna has low-profile dimension (4-mm thick) and has no matching structure; thus,
impedance matching is not considered here. Below the first resonant frequency at around
4 GHz, only the capacitor-like mode is dominant, and so the EM field outside the antenna
is mostly determined by current flowing on the feeding probe. Therefore, the radiation
pattern is omnidirectional for any frequency over the range. The metallic bodies are
represented by perfect electric conductor. A transmitting antenna is excited by use of a
voltage source with 50- internal resistance. Terminals of receiving antennas are openended in order to observe open voltages. Fig. 2 shows the postures we prepared this time.
They were created by employing the 3-D graphics software Poser [8], and have 1.72-m
tall 2-mm resolution. A transmitting antenna is equipped at abdomen, and seven receiving
antennas are equipped together at back, right and left chests, ankles, wrists, and ears,
respectively. There is a 4-mm separation between the antennas and the body surface. We
assume that the human body model has homogeneous and muscle-equivalent tissue. The
dielectric dispersion of the tissue was approximated by the single-pole Debye equation

r ( ) = +

+
1 + j j 0

(1)

where 0 is the free-space permittivity, s is the static permittivity at zero frequency, is

the optical permittivity at infinite frequency, is the relaxation time, and is the static
conductivity. Since the Debye equation cannot fully approximate the actual value of
muscle over the range, the parameters are individually defined on three ranges of 330
MHz, 30300 MHz, and 300 MHz3 GHz, so as to be continuous at boundaries.
Discrepancy between the literature [9] and approximated values is within 10% over the
whole frequency range. Some other parameters were also individually determined at each
range as summarized in TABLE I. A time step of 3.84 1012 s is used to satisfy the
stability condition. Then, the FDTD calculations were conducted separately at each
range.

130

12

Top view

RX

12
RX

Side view

TX

Feed point

RX

4
z

Human body

Unit: [mm]

Fig. 1 Geometry of the antenna.

RX

Standing

Walking

Hand-raising

Fig. 2 Postures of the human body model.

Table 1 Computational parameters for respective frequency ranges.

330 MHz
30300 MHz
300 MHz3 GHz
Static permittivity s
706
101
58.3
Optical permittivity
81.0
57.0
35.5
Relaxation time
3.98 108
3.18 109
3.54 1011
Static conductivity
0.52 S/m
0.63 S/m
0.75 S/m
Mesh size
220 mm
25 mm
Computational domain
1.4 m 1.4 m 2.3 m
1.0 m 1.0 m 2.1 m
Absorbing boundary
20-layer perfectly matched layer
10-layer PML
condition
(PML)

Results and Discussion

In order to grasp the total picture, Fig. 3 (a)(d) shows the calculated electric field
distributions inside and around the standing model in free space at 3, 30, 300 MHz, and 3
GHz, respectively. The observation planes are the x-z plane which includes the feed point.
Here equal input power is assumed to clarify efficiency. Comparing the distributions at 3
and 30 MHz, shapes of the contour line are almost same; however, the levels at 30 MHz
are lower about 20 dB. Radiation efficiencies at 3 and 30 MHz are almost zero. That is
due to a fact that at low frequency, the field around the human body mainly consists of
the electrical stored energy. At 300 MHz, the overall levels are similar to the levels at 30
MHz, but several dips are generated and radiation efficiency increases to about 6%.
When frequency is 3 GHz, the levels at back of the body are relatively low, but radiation
efficiency reaches 48%. Furthermore, many ripples are generated all over the body except
around the transmitting antenna.

131

z [m]

0.5

0.0

0.5

1.0
0.5

0
x [m]
(a) At 3 MHz

0.5 0.5

0
0.5 0.5
0
0
0.5 0.5
x [m]
x [m]
x [m]
(c) At 300 MHz
(d) At 3 GHz
(b) At 30 MHz

0.5

80 60 40 20
0
Magnitude of electric field [dB]

Fig. 3 Electric field distributions around the standing model in free space.

Fig. 4 (a)(e) plots the frequency dependence of the received open voltages at various
receiving antennas. In each figure, results with the standing, walking, and hand-raising
models are compared. For the symmetrical structure of the standing model, only the
results at left side of the body are indicated. Regarding the other two postures, the results
at right and left side of the body are indicated as Walking (R) and Walking (L). According to these results, the received levels at the chests are the most stable at any posture
and frequency. The level at the back is the worst in these figures, and there are many
ripples above 100 MHz. By contrast, in the other three graphs (Fig. 4 (c)(e)), several
non-periodic patterns are found. The received levels at the ankles are relatively stable, but
several nodes are generated at around 100 MHz. In addition, when the model is walking,
one more dip is generated at around 2.5 GHz. According to Fig. 4 (d), the received levels
at the wrists significantly vary with the posture movement especially around several
hundreds of megahertz. Lastly the levels at the ears are relatively stable; however, one
dip is found at 300 MHz when the model is raising the hand.
Received open voltage [dB]

80
100

Hand-raising (L)
Hand-raising (R)

120
140

10

40

Received open voltage [dB]

40

Standing
Walking (L)
Walking (R)

60

30
100
300
Frequency [MHz]
(a) At chest

1000

80
100
120
140

10

100
30
300
Frequency [MHz]
(c) At ankle

100
120

10

40

Standing
Walking (L)
Walking (R)
Hand-raising (L)
Hand-raising (R)

60

80

140

3000

Standing
Walking (L)
Hand-raising (L)

60

Received open voltage [dB]

Received open voltage [dB]

40

1000

3000

132

30
300
100
Frequency [MHz]
(b) At back

1000

3000

1000

3000

Standing
Walking (L)
Walking (R)
Hand-raising (L)
Hand-raising (R)

60
80
100
120
140

10

30
100
300
Frequency [MHz]
(d) At wrist

Received open voltage [dB]

40

Standing
Walking (L)
Walking (R)
Hand-raising (L)
Hand-raising (R)

60
80
100
120
140

10

30
100
300
Frequency [MHz]
(e) At ear

1000

3000

Fig. 4 Received open voltages of respective receivers.

Conclusion
In the present paper, to bring objective and unified idea on the frequency characteristics
of body-centric wireless communication channels, electromagnetic fields around a body
wearing a small top-loaded monopole antenna and received open voltages at several
equipped receiving antennas were numerically calculated in a wide range of HF to UHF
bands. Regarding power transmission efficiency, it was suggested that the use of lower
frequency would be more efficient at the HF band. Regarding the received open voltage,
several non-periodic patterns are found at the levels at ankles, wrists, and ears. In
addition, fluctuations of the received open voltage are significant especially for the
receiver at the wrist and especially in a frequency range around several hundreds of
megahertz.

References
[1] P. S. Hall, and Y. Hao, Antennas and Propagation for Body-Centric Wireless
Communications. Norwood, MA: Artech House, 2006.
[2] IET Seminars on Antennas and Propagation for Body-Centric Wireless
Communications, London, Apr. 2007 and 2009.
[3] Special Issue on Antennas and Propagation for Body-Centric Wireless
Communications, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Apr. 2009.
[4] K. Fujii, M. Takahashi, and K. Ito, Electric field distributions of wearable devices
using the human body as a transmission channel, IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag.,
vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 20802087, Jul. 2007.
[5] Available: http://www.redtacton.com/
[6] P. S. Hall, Diversity in on-body communications channels, in Proc. International
Workshop on Antenna Technology 2008, pp. 59, Chiba, Mar. 2008.
[7] N. Haga and K. Ito, Frequency dependence of on-body channels with top-loaded
monopole antennas in the range of HF to UHF, in Proc. Asia-Pacific Microwave
Conference 2009, pp.22082211, Singapore, Dec. 2009.
[8] Available: http://www.e-frontier.com/
[9] S. Gabriel, R. W. Lau, and C. Gabriel. The dielectric properties of biological tissues:
II. Measurements in the frequency range 10 Hz to 20 GHz, Phys. Med. Biol., vol.
41, pp. 22512269, 1996.

133