In this article, a highly robust antenna is proposed for omnidirectional circular
polarized communications in harsh environments at 2.45 GHz industrial, scientific,
and medical frequency band. Circular polarization is realized by utilizing
a combination of two magnetic and electric dipoles. The proposed antenna is
based on a transparent structure and covered by a quarter wavelength thick
layer of plexiglass to achieve desired robustness and visible light transparency.
Meanwhile, because of the high transparency of the glass, it can integrate with
solar cells to simultaneously propagate signals and harvest energy. The average
gain and bandwidth of the antenna are 1.7 dBic and 300 MHz, respectively. The
antenna’s axial ratio is achieved less than 3 dB within the bandwidth, showing
circular polarization behavior. The proposed compact antenna is numerically
and experimentally analyzed and the results have a great agreement. In another
viewpoint, the structure delivers promising possibilities to improve the propagating
and radiating properties, which bring in significant advantages for real-world
multifunctional applications.