Button antenna on textiles for wireless local area network on body applications

A design of a wearable antenna for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications is presented in this study. The antenna consists of a button shape outer cylindrical structure and an internal central via connected to a top disc at one end and the metal ground plane at the other. The overall size and shape achieved are those of a standard metal jeans button which camouflages the antenna for wearable applications. The rigidness of the structure is greater than for previous wearable button antenna developments. The proposed wearable antenna is designed for 2.4 and 5 GHz with monopole-type radiation patterns at each band. This allows for transmission to other worn devices on the body. An investigation into the measured permittivity of cotton denim is presented and a section on the equivalent circuit modelling of the antenna and the fabric is given.