Taoglas has launched Axiom, a reference design for a low-profile, compact multiple-antenna solution for the next generation of Connected Cars. The reference design will help automobile manufacturers overcome the dilemma of where and how to place the multitude of antennas on cars in order to maximize performance.
There are as many as 18 antennas are needed to power some of the next-generation connected cars. The antennas required include multiple cellular antennas for network connectivity, Wi-Fi for hotspot connectivity, GNSS for navigation, emergency call systems and other location-based technologies, satellite radio, AM/FM antennas, radar antennas for object detection, Bluetooth antennas for smartphones and other devices, and dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) antennas for vehicle-to-vehicle/infrastructure applications.
Locating these antennas in a vehicle in close proximity to each other and additional electronics systems while minimizing interference and maximizing performance is extremely challenging from a design and RF performance perspective.
Manufacturers also need to take into consideration the ease of installation and assembly, and the antenna size to determine how they would best work with the vehicle’s aesthetics. Taoglas has worked with the automotive industry for more than a decade, providing antenna solutions to many of the major automobile OEMs across the globe. The Axiom reference design incorporates Taoglas’ wealth of knowledge and expertise gained over the years into a roadmap to help automobile manufacturers advance antenna configurations that work for their particular make and model.
Taoglas’ Axiom reference design has integrated nine antennas, including:
- LTE Antennas: Four LTE antennas, each operating from 698MHz to 6GHz to fully cover LTE worldwide application bands
- Wi-Fi Antennas: Two Wi-Fi elements, supporting both 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz bands for Wireless Local Area Network
- GNSS Antenna: An active GNSS element to support GPS, Glonass and Beidou navigation systems. L1/L2 options available.
- SDARS Antenna: One SDARS element to support satellite radio applications.
- DSRC Antenna: One DSRC element, which supports V2V/V2X dedicated short range communication.
The advantage of Taoglas is its ability to integrate all of the antennas required for the Connected Car in a confined space and maintain maximum performance. The Axiom reference design uses a compact PCB all with SMT-mounted components, and also incorporates a unique board-to-board connector option, allowing the antennas and electronics systems to coexist in a single space inside the vehicle, with no RF cables or additional connectors required.
The Axiom reference design also helps auto manufacturers simplify manufacturing and assembly, with surface-mount solutions that feature the temperature and vibration resistance with the quality standards that manufacturers require.
The antenna system can be installed by simply clipping the PCB into the telematics board. Taoglas featured the Axiom multi-antenna reference design, at the TU-Automotive show in Detroit June 7 - 8, 2017.
