Circularly Polarized Wearable Antennas

By employing circularly polarized antennas, it is possible to prevent polarization mismatch losses which in turn increases the connection reliability between communication devices. This chapter focuses on circularly polarized wearable antennas. The Introduction section presents the motives behind this particular antenna type and discusses the advantages of circular polarization in wearable applications, not forgetting the challenges involved in the implementation of such antennas. To understand the nature of circular polarization, and to avoid design errors, a brief theory section follows. The next section is dedicated to survey the scientific publications related to this vital topic, providing a review of the latest developments. Finally, a case study of a dual-band circularly polarized wearable antenna for personal satellite communication and navigation at L1 and Iridium frequency bands is presented. The section goes through the design procedure from material selection to antenna performance evaluation by means of return loss and radiation measurements.