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

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the performance of microstrip patch antennas embedded in paint for Internet of Paint applications, introducing a channel model and identifying optimal orientations for reliable communication.

Contribution

It presents a novel in-paint microstrip patch antenna design and a comprehensive channel model for IoP, highlighting the most reliable propagation paths and antenna orientations.

Findings

Lateral waves along the air-paint interface exhibit lowest loss.

Maximum received power depends on depth for non-direct paths.

Proposed transceiver network can enable high-speed wireless communication in walls.

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.