NEC Unveils Wideband Wearable Antenna

According to reports in the Japanese media, NEC Corp unveiled its ‘Wideband Wearable Antenna’ which can be attached to various kinds of material, including clothing. NEC will conduct a field test to receive 1Seg digital tv in the 470-770MHz band and apparently plans to continue evaluating other potential target areas such as WiMax.

The existing antennas cannot operate effectively when they are used in the vicinity of a human body due to the degradation of impedance characteristics. The latest antenna, however, is designed to prevent the degradation of impedance characteristics in free space even when it is used in the vicinity of a human body, such as in a case where it is attached to the clothes, the company said.

Although conductive cloths are generally non-weldable, the latest prototype has a structure in which a coaxial cable for power supply is welded to a compact flexible board. As a result, the antenna can be supplied with power by the capacitive coupling of the board. Source.