Optically Transparent Antenna For Smart Glasses
Optically Transparent Antenna For Smart Glasses
ABSTRACT The optically transparent antenna technology has been gaining attention in consumer elec-
tronic industry owing to its potential to release the antenna volume constraints in compact mobile devices.
Earlier studies have been heavily focused on the transparent antenna integration to the display for smart-
phone applications, for example, to improve its spatial coverage of 5G mm-wave at the forehead side.
To our knowledge, the application of the transparent antenna technology to smart glasses and augmented
reality glasses, especially considering the constraints from the coexistence with optical features in the
lens stack-up, has remained unexplored. Thus, for the first time, we suggest a feasible existence solution
between antennas and the RF lossy layers in the lens stack-up, to reduce the negative impacts on antenna
performances. A slot loop antenna formed by metal-mesh based transparent antenna film and metallic
glass frame has been investigated. Experimental results of such an antenna on human head phantom shows
a total efficiency better than −4.5 dB in 2.4 GHz band. Even though it is demonstrated through a 2.4 GHz
antenna example, the same principle can be applied to any other sub-6 GHz antenna applications, i.e.,
LTE, WiFi, GNSS, etc.
INDEX TERMS Transparent antenna, invisible antenna, metaverse, augmented reality, virtual reality, smart
glass, light control panel, metal mesh, Indium Tin Oxide, slot antenna.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
FIGURE 2. A LCL; (a) On state and (b) Off state [17], [18], [19], [20].
impact from LCL is minor for the proposed antenna. G1 and at Type (E) is modified up to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mm,
G2 are the key parameters to increase radiation efficiency its radiated power increases to 18.21%, 35.88%, 48.18%,
and kept as 1 mm throughout the study. When G1 = G2 and 56.44%.
FIGURE 8. EM analysis model for (a) dimensions and (b) port/PIN locations.
FIGURE 10. Simulated results for (a) Antenna efficiencies (b) Reflection coefficient
of the proposed edge slot antenna.
LCL was mounted on the lens with transparent antenna elec- V. CONCLUSION
trode. As shown in the figure, the transparency is apparently The transparent antenna is a good candidate to solve the
changed by turning bias ON or OFF. In additional measure- antenna volume constraints for smart glasses and aug-
ment, there was almost no impact from LCL bias status on mented glasses form factors. This paper summarizes the
antenna performances. practical constraints of transparent antenna designs and per-
formances when they co-exist with the RF lossy optical
B. ANTENNA features/functions in the lens stack-up. For the first time,
Antenna characteristics were evaluated. Figure 13 demon- the edge slot antenna concept has been proposed to address
strates the over-the-air measurement setup and radiated the coexistence issue with the optical features, where, more