Space mapping optimization of handset antennas considering EM effects of mobile phone components and human body

In order to meet antenna design specifications under realistic conditions, electromagnetic coupling effects between the antenna and its environment must be considered. In this work, an efficient antenna design optimization methodology that considers the influence of the human head and main mobile handset components on the antenna performance is presented. The computational optimization time is dramatically reduced by exploiting a Broyden-based input space mapping (SM) algorithm. Both coarse and fine models required for the SM algorithm are based on the finite-element method (FEM) and are implemented in the same simulator; simplifying the modeling process. However, our coarse model does not consider any object of the actual operational environment. In spite of that and other simplifications applied to the coarse model, the proposed optimization scheme is able to find a solution that meets the specifications in a realistic environment by performing an extremely small number of expensive fine model simulations. Our practical illustration opens up the feasibility of using this CAD methodology to optimize other RF devices that operate in close proximity to objects that affect its desired response, as it is the case for many wearable devices.