Aperture-coupled patch antenna for integration into wearable textile systems

The emergence of wearable textile systems in recent years exhibited the need for wireless communication tools integratable into garments. In literature, several planar antenna designs based on textile materials have been presented, however, without an adapted feeding structure for wearable applications. An aperture-coupled patch antenna (ACPA) meets this requirement since the rigid coaxial feed is replaced by a microstrip feed line that couples its power into the antenna through an aperture in the ground plane. This letter presents the first ACPA entirely made out of textile material. The result is a highly efficient, fully flexible, and wearable antenna that is integratable into garments.