Design of Conformal Spiral Dual-Band Antenna for Wireless Capsule System

Abstract

This paper presents a conformal spiral antenna that is miniaturized and with dual-resonant for the wireless implantable capsule system. The spiral antenna conforms to a swallowable capsule with a radius of 3 mm and a length of 26 mm without occupying the internal space of the capsule. The compact antenna adopts two spiral arms to extend the effective current path for miniaturization. Biocompatible flexible polyimide was used as the dielectric substrate and capsule shell, achieving conformal properties of the antenna as well as compatibility with human tissue. The antenna has been simulated in different environmental models. The bandwidth of the antenna can reach 39.16 % (1.82 GHz-2.76 GHz) and 12.06 % (5.36 GHz-6.06 GHz) at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz. The maximum gains of −35.2 dBi and −28.1 dBi can be achieved at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz, respectively. In addition, the transmission characteristics of the antenna were experimentally verified in the minced pork and pig intestine. By analyzing the communication link, the communication distance between transceivers at 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz can meet 14 m and 5 m. These results show that the proposed antenna is suitable for wireless implantable capsule systems.