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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2024) | Viewed by 20937

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Prof. Razvan D. Tamas

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Guest Editor

Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Constanta Maritime University, Str. Mircea cel Batran nr. 104, 900663 Constanta, Romania
Interests: antenna theory; antenna and RCS measurement techniques; ultra-wide band antennas and time-domain characterization; numerical methods for electromagnetism; electromagnetic compatibility
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Dr. Ilie Valentin Mihai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, Constanta Maritime University, Str. Mircea cel Batran nr. 104, 900663 Constanta, Romania
Interests: antennas; radar cross section measurements; diffraction theory

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to contribute to a Special Issue on Antennas for Integrated Sensor Systems.

Aircrafts, ships, cars, satellites, and robots are all equipped with integrated sensor systems including data transmission through radio. Wireless transmissions are often employed in sensor networks (including the Internet of Things), remote sensing (radars and direction finders), and medical imaging. Each of these cases raise specific challenges in terms of antenna design, and dedicated radiowave propagation models are needed since the operating site characteristics and system requirements may dramatically vary from one application to another.

Suggested topics include (but are not limited to):

Antennas for automotive applications;
Antennas for spaceborne applications;
Antennas for robotic platforms;
Antennas for sensor networks and IoT applications;
Antennas for remote sensing;
Antennas for medical sensors and imaging;
Antennas for environmental monitoring and protection applications;
Radiowave propagation in sensor networks;
MIMO techniques for sensor networks.

Prof. Razvan D. Tamas
Dr. Ilie Valentin Mihai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

antennas
sensor networks
Internet of Things
remote sensing
radiowave propagation
medical applications
environmental protection applications
MIMO techniques

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 13742 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Compact Monopole Antenna for Underwater Acoustic Monitoring Beacons

by Stefania Bucuci, Andreea Constantin, Mirel Paun, Marius N. Pastorcici, Razvan D. Tamas, Alin Danisor and Rodica Constantinescu

Sensors 2022, 22(21), 8392; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22218392 - 1 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2184

Abstract

Protected wetlands such as deltas, lakes or rivers provide a sanctuary for many endangered species. In order to protect these areas from illegal human interventions, it is necessary to monitor the unauthorized entrance of motor boats. In order to mitigate such an impact, we have developed a network of floating beacons for underwater acoustic monitoring, using LoRa communication modules operating at 433 MHz. Such beacons should be equipped with compact antennas. In this paper, we use a genetic algorithm approach to design the compact, monopole antennas required for the beacons; size constraints would apply not only to the radiating element but also to the ground plane. Although the antenna input is unbalanced, such a small ground plane may yield common mode currents on the antenna feeder, which distort the radiation pattern of the antenna. In order to investigate the effect of the common mode currents, we developed a distance averaging method, while, for characterizing the antenna, we used a single-antenna method. For the experimental validation of the system in real conditions, a continuous monitoring of the lake was carried out. During the monitoring, multiple events generated by incursions of motor boats were successfully detected and recorded. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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18 pages, 11508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transforming Linear to Circular Polarization on Horn Antennas by Using Multiple-Layer Frequency Selective Surfaces

by Adelaida Heiman and Razvan D. Tamas

Sensors 2022, 22(20), 7838; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22207838 - 15 Oct 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3160

Abstract

This article presents a technique for transforming the polarization of a pyramidal horn antenna by adding multiple layers of frequency-selective surfaces in front of the aperture, in order to rotate the direction of the electric field. Thus, two orthogonal components with the same magnitude, phase-shifted by 90°, are generated. Each frequency-selective surface consists of skewed λ/2 dipoles. Compared to other similar structures, our antenna system combines the field radiated from the horn aperture with the field scattered by parallel frequency-selective surface structures spaced on the same principle as that for designing a Yagi-Uda antenna array. The proposed horn antenna with multiple frequency-selective surfaces can be used as a feed element for a parabolic reflector antenna for maritime satellite communication systems in the X-band or in the lower part of the Ku band, or as part of a sensor for finding the direction of arrival of a wave, in order to orientate an antenna system. The concept was successfully validated on the basis of simulation and measurements. The proposed technique provides a close to unit axial ratio together with a 3 dB increase in gain compared to the conventional horn antenna, at low manufacturing costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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10 pages, 5086 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Single-Antenna Method and Post-Processing Strategy for Radar Cross-Section Measurements at Near-Field Ranges

by Ilie Valentin Mihai, Andreea Constantin, Stefania Bucuci and Razvan D. Tamas

Sensors 2022, 22(19), 7453; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197453 - 30 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1491

Abstract

The single-antenna technique proposed in this paper was developed for measuring the radar cross-section at near-field distances in a real environment, from reflection coefficient measurements on the antenna. The near-field radar cross-section is corrected with an analytical factor calculated as a ratio between the radar cross-section computed at far-field and near-field. The analytical correction factor takes into account the effects of the diffraction at the edges of the target at incidence angles higher than 20°. An improved, distance averaging technique is proposed to reduce the multipath propagation effects. A time-gating procedure is additionally used in order to better isolate the reflection from the target and to remove the real environment contributions. The method was successfully tested on a rectangular metallic plate as a target over a wide frequency band, at normal and oblique incidence angles; however, it might also work for arbitrarily shaped targets, because they can actually be divided into small rectangular patches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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19 pages, 6577 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wearable Antennas for Sensor Networks and IoT Applications: Evaluation of SAR and Biological Effects

by Nikolay Todorov Atanasov, Gabriela Lachezarova Atanasova, Boyana Angelova, Momchil Paunov, Maria Gurmanova and Margarita Kouzmanova

Sensors 2022, 22(14), 5139; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22145139 - 8 Jul 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2514

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a rapid development in the wearable industry. The growing number of wearables has led to the demand for new lightweight, flexible wearable antennas. In order to be applicable in IoT wearable devices, the antennas must meet certain electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, and safety requirements (e.g., specific absorption rate (SAR) below worldwide limits). However, the assessment of SAR does not provide information on the mechanisms of interaction between low-intensity electromagnetic fields emitted by wearable antennas and the human body. In this paper, we presented a detailed investigation of the SAR induced in erythrocyte suspensions from a fully textile wearable antenna at realistic (net input power 6.3 mW) and conservative (net input power 450 mW) conditions at 2.41 GHz, as well as results from in vitro experiments on the stability of human erythrocyte membranes at both exposure conditions. The detailed investigation showed that the 1 g average SARs were 0.5758 W/kg and 41.13 W/kg, respectively. Results from the in vitro experiments demonstrated that the short-term (20 min) irradiation of erythrocyte membranes in the reactive near-field of the wearable antenna at 6.3 mW input power had a stabilizing effect. Long-term exposure (120 min) had a destabilizing effect on the erythrocyte membrane. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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19 pages, 6069 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Design of a Deployable Helix Antenna at L-Band for a 1-Unit CubeSat: From Theoretical Analysis to Flight Model Results

by Lara Fernandez, Marco Sobrino, Joan Adria Ruiz-de-Azua, Anna Calveras and Adriano Camps

Sensors 2022, 22(10), 3633; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22103633 - 10 May 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4458

Abstract

The

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The

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Cat-4 mission aims at demonstrating the capabilities of a CubeSat to perform Earth Observation (EO) by integrating a combined GNSS-R and Microwave Radiometer payload into a 1-Unit CubeSat. One of the greatest challenges is the design of an antenna that respects the 1-Unit CubeSat envelope while operating at the different frequency bands: Global Positioning System (GPS) L1 and Galileo E1 band (1575 MHz), GPS L2 band (1227 MHz), and the microwave radiometry band (1400–1427 MHz). Moreover, it requires between 8 and 12 dB of directivity depending on the band whilst providing at least 10 dB of front-to-back lobe ratio in L1 and L2 GPS bands. After a trade-off analysis on the type of antenna that could be used, a helix antenna was found to be the most suitable option to comply with the requirements, since it can be stowed during launch and deployed once in orbit. This article presents the antenna design from a radiation performance point of view starting with a theoretical analysis, then presenting the numerical simulations, the measurements in an Engineering Model (EM), and finally the final design and performance of the Flight Model (FM). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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20 pages, 9526 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Quad-Port Multiservice Diversity Antenna for Automotive Applications

by Lekha Kannappan, Sandeep Kumar Palaniswamy, Lulu Wang, Malathi Kanagasabai, Sachin Kumar, Mohammed Gulam Nabi Alsath and Thipparaju Rama Rao

Sensors 2021, 21(24), 8238; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21248238 - 9 Dec 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3808

Abstract

A quad-element multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) antenna with ultra-wideband (UWB) performance is presented in this paper. The MIMO antenna consists of four orthogonally arranged microstrip line-fed hexagonal monopole radiators and a modified ground plane. In addition, E-shaped and G-shaped stubs are added to the radiator to achieve additional resonances at 1.5 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The reliability of the antenna in the automotive environment is investigated, with housing effects taken into account. The housing effects show that the antenna performs consistently even in the presence of a large metal object. The proposed MIMO antenna has potential for various automotive applications, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), intelligent transport system (ITS), automatic vehicle identifier, and RFID-based electronic toll collection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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11 pages, 5306 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multifunctional Partially Reflective Surface for Smart Blocks

by Jae Hee Kim, Dong-Jin Lee, Tae-Ki An, Jong-Gyu Hwang and Chi-Hyung Ahn

Sensors 2021, 21(19), 6508; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21196508 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1655

Abstract

In general, a partially reflective surface (PRS) is mainly used to increase the gain of an antenna; some metallic objects placed on the PRS degrades the antenna performance because the objects change the periodic structure of the PRS. Herein, we propose a multifunctional PRS for smart block application. When a passenger passes over a smart block, the fare can be simultaneously collected and presented through the LED display. This requires high gain antenna with LED structure. The high gain characteristic helps the antenna identify passengers only when they pass over the block. The multifunctional PRS has a structure in which an LED can be placed in the horizontal direction while increasing the antenna gain. We used the antenna’s polarization characteristics to prevent performance deterioration when LED lines are placed in the PRS. We built the proposed antenna and measured its performance: At 2.41 GHz, the efficiency was 81.4%, and the antenna gain was 18.3 dBi. Furthermore, the half-power beamwidth was 18°, confirming a directional radiation pattern. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antennas for Integrated Sensors Systems)

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