Antenova, a leading developer and supplier of high performing integrated antennas and RF solutions, has developed a software tool that will help product designers select and plan out antenna placement when designing the PCB. The Antenova Antenna Selection and Placement tool assists in selecting the best SMD antenna based on PCB size, technologies and preferred layouts.
For products that include a cellular connection, the placement of the cellular antenna is important since it affects product performance which also can affect the carrier certification. This tool helps product designers to think about their antenna placement to get the best performance, which helps them complete certification, and launch the products.
Features of the Antenna Selection and Placement tool include:
- Option to select an antenna depending on the application
- View recommended layouts and export screenshots
- Compare antennas based on PCB size to find the right solution for the application
When choosing an antenna, there are 2 options: an off-PCB and an on-PCB antenna. An off-PCB antenna is an FPC (flexible printed circuit) antenna, it has a short coax cable connecting between the FPC antenna and the product PCB. An on-PCB antenna is a Surface Mount antenna. It is important to consider first whether an SMD or FPC antenna is the best choice as the Antenna Placement tool provides placement advice for SMD antennas only.
Antenna Placement Sequence
A product that contains multiple antennas, usually has the antenna placement order determined by the strength of the signals. The antenna placement tool is useful for choosing the placement of multiple cellular antennas, for example, a diversity reception antenna. The weakest signals are from GNSS/GPS, therefore the GNSS antenna should be placed where it can receive the strongest signals. The next weakest signals are cellular or ISM/LoRa signals, these antennas should be placed next. Finally, the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth antennas should be placed.
Click here to try the new Antenna Selection and Placement tool.
