The document describes the design and testing of an inkjet printed antenna on leather for mine detection. Key points: - The objective was to fabricate a cheap, flexible, small, and efficient antenna printed on leather using inkjet printing and embedded in a shoe for mine detection. - The antenna design was simulated and tested, meeting specifications of operating at 2.4 GHz with a gain of 2 dB and a range of over 5 meters. - The antenna was successfully printed on leather using inkjet printing and sintering, and testing showed it closely matched the targeted impedance and return loss. - Potential applications mentioned are guiding shoes for blind people, use in radar systems, and electronics printed on

1. 100.000.000419170%$3

2. Mohammad Khojah
Under the direction of Dr. Atif Shamim
Saudi Research Science Institute
July 24, 2012
An Inkjet Printed Antenna on
Leather for Mine Detection in
Battlefields
2

3. Overview
Overview
Introduction
• Mines
• Problem
• Objective
• Detection
• Inkjet printing
Design process
•Specifications
•Leather
•Simulating
•Printing
•Testing
Conclusion
•Results
•Conclusion
•Future work
•Improvements
•Applications
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4. Introduction
Problem
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Bulky
Expensive
Not user friendly
Source Nation/ Defence Days, Esplanade des Invalides, Paris, France, September 24-25, 2005
Mine Detector

5. 9/20/2015 5
Introduction
Objective
Fabricate an inkjet printed antenna
for mine detection
that will be embedded in a shoe.
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6. Introduction
Mine Detection
The Project Common Mine Detectors
Antennas Coils
Electromagnetic waves Magnetic fields
Reflection Change in magnetic field
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7. Introduction
Novel Aspects
• Novel printing surface
• Hot air station sintering
• Inkjet mine detector
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8. Introduction
Challenges
The mine detector has to be:
• Cheap
• Flexible
• Small
• Efficient
• Reliable
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9. Introduction
Inkjet Printing
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10. Design Process
Design Process and Evaluation
Antenna
Specifications
Comparing
Leather
Simulating
the Antenna
Printing the
Antenna
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11. Design Process
Antenna Specification
Frequency 2.4 GHZ
Wavelength 12.5 cm
Gain 2 dB
Impedance 70+j30
Type Dipole
Range > 5 m
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12. Design Process
Comparing the Leather
Type of Leather Thickness Permittivity Loss Tangent
Black Leather I (Car Seat) 0.5 mm 1.8 C/m2 0.01 δ
Black Leather II ( Clothing) 0.5 mm 2 C/m2 0.01 δ
Brown Leather I (Car Seat) 1.0 mm 1.2 C/m2 0.018 δ
Brown Leather II (Car Seat) 0.56 mm 1.8 C/m2 0.027 δ
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13. Design Process
Antenna Design
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14. Design Process
Gain of the Simulated Antenna
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15. 𝑃𝑟
𝑃𝑡
= 𝜎
𝐺2
4𝜋
𝜆
4𝜋𝑅2
2
R = 5.98 m
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Design Process
Range of the Simulated Antenna
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16. Design Process
Impedance of the Simulated Antenna
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Reactance = 42
Frqfreq, GHZ
ImpedanceΩ
Resistance = 67

17. Determining the Layer Count
• 1 cm x 1 mm
• Four nozzles
• Sintering at 350°C
Design Process9/20/2015 17
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
0 5 10 15 20 25
Layers
ResistanceΩΩ

18. Design Process
Printing
First Antenna Second Antenna
10 layers 10 layers
Oven sintering Hot air station
160°C 350°C
3 hours 3 minutes
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19. Antenna Testing
• Measuring resistance
• Measuring impedance
• Measuring return loss
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Results9/20/2015 19
Heighto1.221
Width of 1,628 mm

20. Results
Impedance
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21. Results
Return Loss
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returnloss,dBm
freq, GHZ

22. Efficiency Determination
−25 𝑑𝑏𝑚 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔20
𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓
𝑉𝑖𝑛𝑐
𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑓
𝑉𝑖𝑛𝑐
= 0.56 = 5.6%
• 94.4% of the signal power will enter the antenna
• Due to the resistance of the ink, some of the
signal power will be dissipated.
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Results9/20/2015 22

23. Conclusions
• The printing process is inconsistent
• Leather is a decent substrate
• Our antenna closely meets the specifications
• Matching impedance was achieved
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Conclusions9/20/2015 23

24. Conclusions
Possible Applications
• Shoes that guide blind people
• Part of a radar system
• Electronics printed on clothes
• Treasure hunting
• Any situation where a device needs to sense
nearby objects
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25. Parameters to Explore
• Printer
• Ink
• Substrate
• Sintering
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Conclusions9/20/2015 25

26. Next Steps
• Choosing a transceiver
• Connecting the antenna
to the transceiver
• Testing the system
• Building the final prototype
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Conclusions9/20/2015 26

27. Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments9/20/2015 27
• Dr. Atif Shamim
• Fahad Farooqui
• Dr. John Dell
• Tutors
• Benjamin Lei
• SRSI
• CEE
• KAUST
• SRSI students
• My family

28. Q/A