At Mobile World Congress 2018, Taoglas introduced its patent-pending Terrablast range of antennas. Terrablast antennas are a revolutionary, polymer-based series of patch antennas that are 30 percent lighter than their ceramic counterparts and extremely resistant to fracture upon impact. The combination makes them a perfect fit for the automotive and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) markets, where impacts are possible, but antenna performance cannot be compromised.
The first antennas in the Terrablast range are a 25 mm embedded 2.4 GHz patch antenna - Terrablast WTSP.2400.25.4.40 and a 35 mm embedded GPS patch antenna - Terrablast GGBTP.35.3.A.40 GPS. The circular polarized design of the 2.4 GHz patch ensures maximum performance for constantly moving mobile applications where the orientation to the transmitter or receiver frequently changes. The antenna weighs just 5.6 g compared to an equivalent ceramic patch of 8.5 g, making it an ideal weight-saving substitute for ceramic patches in UAV applications.
The 35 mm GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou patch antenna has extremely high efficiency of over 70 percent across all bands, improving time to first fix (TTFX). Weighing just 10 g, the 3.5 mm-thick patch is 5.5 g lighter than typical ceramic GNSS patches.
Unlike traditional patch antennas, which are ceramic, Terrablast uses a new class of Taoglas polymer dielectric material composed of glass-reinforced epoxy laminate. The addition of the polymer to the blend makes the antenna extremely lightweight, yet impact resistant. These antennas are designed to withstand drops, falls and impacts, making them ideal for applications such as UAVs, where the antenna’s mechanical robustness following potential impact is critical. In drone applications, where weight over battery life is critical, each gram reduced enhances battery life.
All Terrablast antennas undergo rigorous temperature, vibration and impact tests, exceed the highest ISO 16750 standards, and are manufactured in Taoglas’ purpose-built facilities in Taiwan and the United States. For more information about the Terrablast antenna range, click here.
