Antennas in Walls: Performance Analysis of Microstrip Patch Antennas Designed for Internet of Paint (IoP)

2024-12-02

arXiv.org

AI Summary

The emerging Internet of Paint (IoP) paradigm necessitates wall-integrated wireless communication and sensing, but coating depth and orientation significantly affect channel characteristics. Method: This paper proposes embedding microstrip patch antennas (MPAs) directly into paint layers and establishes, for the first time, an in-plane multipath channel model for arbitrary embedding depths and azimuthal orientations. Full-wave electromagnetic simulations characterize propagation mechanisms, revealing that transverse waves along the air–paint interface exhibit minimal loss and strong depth-dependent performance. Contribution/Results: Through antenna orientation optimization and physical mechanism analysis, we design a 150 GHz embedded MPA (IP-MPA) that transforms conventional walls into integrated infrastructure—enabling high-throughput, low-loss, dual-functional communication and sensing without compromising structural aesthetics or integrity.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Internet of Things, Sensor Networks & Smart Cities
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web measurements

Abstract

This study presents a simulated transceiver with a microstrip patch antenna (MPA) designed to resonate at 150 GHz and embedded in paint. The in-paint MPA (IP-MPA) is designed for the Internet of Paint (IoP) paradigm, which envisions seamless device communication through a paint layer on walls. This study introduces a comprehensive channel model for transceivers in paint at arbitrary depths and IP-MPA orientations. The best antenna orientations are analyzed for IoP channel performance. Extensive simulations indicate that the lateral waves, which propagate along the air-paint interface, exhibit the lowest loss, making this path the most reliable for communication between transceivers in paint. Further, the maximum received power for each propagation path, with the exception of the direct path, depends on depth. The findings suggest that the proposed network of IP-MPA-enabled transceivers for IoP has the potential to transform conventional walls into an integrated high-speed wireless communication and sensing infrastructure.

Problem

• Designing 150 GHz microstrip patch antennas embedded in paint
• Analyzing optimal antenna orientations for IoP communication
• Modeling channel performance for transceivers at varying paint depths

Innovation

• 150 GHz microstrip patch antenna in paint
• Channel model for in-paint transceivers
• Lateral waves enable low-loss communication