Computational Modeling of the Bent Antenna in an On-Body Mode Using the Cylindrical TLM Approach

This paper presents the suitability and computational features of the cylindrical TLM approach, when it is used as an accurate and efficient alternative for the analysis of the bending effect on performances of the antenna operating in an on-body mode. A design goal was to create the model of the rectangular patch antenna wrapped around the part of a cylinder, which can be used to represent a human body (torso, leg, or arm) and simultaneously to model dielectric properties of muscle tissue. Moreover, the paper illustrates problems in terms of accuracy and limitations when the antenna deformation is modelled by using numerical methods based on the cubic mesh. The advantages of the cylindrical TLM method over the rectangular TLM approach have been emphasized through an analysis of how the bending affects the resonant frequency of the antenna.