Characterization of the Interactions Between a 60-GHz Antenna and the Human Body in an Off-Body Scenario

• Published in: IEEE transactions on antennas and propagation 2012-12, Vol.60 (12), p.5958-5965
• Main Authors: Chahat, N., Zhadobov, M., Le Coq, Laurent, Alekseev, S. I., Sauleau, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antenna arrays; Antenna measurements; Antenna radiation patterns; Antennas; Arrays; body area networks (BAN); body-centric wireless communications; Dynamics; Gain; Heating; high-data-rate communications; Human body; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Millimeter waves; Phantoms; skin-equivalent phantoms; specific absorption rate (SAR); Studies; Synthetic aperture radar
• ISSN: 0018-926X; 1558-2221
• DOI: 10.1109/TAP.2012.2211326

Interactions between a 60-GHz microstrip patch antenna array designed for off-body communications and the human body are investigated numerically and experimentally. First, the array is characterized in free space and on a homogeneous skin-equivalent phantom in terms of reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and antenna efficiency. Second, a multiphysics dosimetry technique is proposed and implemented to determine the specific absorption rate (SAR) and incident power density (IPD) from the heating dynamics measured on an experimental phantom using a high-resolution infrared (IR) camera. The SAR and IPD are found by fitting the analytical solution of the bio-heat transfer equation to the measured heating dynamics. The experimental and numerical results are in a very good agreement. They demonstrate that for the considered scenario the impact of the body on the antenna characteristics is almost negligible, and even relatively high radiated powers (up to 550 mW) result in exposure levels that are below international exposure limits.