A polarization/frequency interchangeable patch for a modular wearable textile antenna

Abstract

A concept of modular textile antennas based on commercial snap-on buttons has been recently proposed for wearable applications. This concept has been demonstrated to provide passive system reconfigurabilities in resonance frequency, polarization and/or radiation characteristics using a common feeding structure as a base. In this paper, as a further illustration of the versatility of the modular concept, a circular patch module with a rectangular flap cut in the middle is proposed. This module can provide interchangeability between right-handed circular polarization (RHCP), left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) and linear polarization (LP), as well as passive reconfigurability in resonance frequency for LP, through simple module rotation and different flap configurations (opened or closed).