Low Profile Confomal Designs for the VHF/UHF Laminated Antenna

Conformal antennas for VHF/UHF have multiple uses, but the Phase I effort by Sciperio was focused on the design of a SLICE band omni-directional UHF antenna for integration within a soldiers helmet. The Phase I results for this conformal concept wereproof of the feasibility of designing an antenna capable of being integrated within or onto the surface of a Kevlar helmet. The antenna consists of two parts, an antenna element and a reflecting electromagnetic band gap (EBG) material. The initialresults have been very positive and a significant portion of the desired operating band has been obtained in this first-pass Phase 1 effort. The Phase II proposal is combining the PMC and the antenna together within or on the Kevlar helmet. Thecontinuation of this program will include the design of low profile antennas with optimal RF performance, but will have an additional benefit of protecting the soldier from RF radiation in accordance with IEEE and FCC standards for protection against humanbody absorption of RF energy. The custom-designed EBG reflector which enhances the antenna performance serves a dual purpose by providing protection against localized RF absorption as well. These enhanced qualities can be combined in an antenna to beconformally placed on the helmet leading to efficient access for the antenna and just as important, a rugged attribute for extreme environments.