Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

News

August 18, 2017

Multiband Antennas Developed for In-vehicle Telecommunications Equipment Supporting Cellular Bands Worldwide
- Contributing to the global standardization of in-vehicle telecommunications equipment -

The Electronic Materials & Components Company of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (President: Akira Takeuchi; capital: 119.4 billion yen; hereinafter "Mitsubishi Materials") is pleased to announce the development of multiband*1 antennas for in-vehicle telecommunications equipment supporting cellular bands*2 worldwide through the utilization of ceramics technologies and the know-how of antenna designs which have been cultivated over many years. The samples will be available from October, 2017.

In recent years, attention has been paid to technologies that provide a wide range of new products and services, such as Connected Cars*3 and ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems)*4, by connecting in-vehicle telecommunications equipment, including Telematics*5 boxes, directly to the Internet. Unit antennas supporting global cellular bands are installed in in-vehicle telecommunications equipment, which work as part of the telecommunications ECU (Electronic Control Unit)*6. It is expected that the need for them will expand as a means of collecting detailed information from the cloud on a real-time basis, including maps and roads needed for new services such as eCall (in-vehicle emergency call system)*7 and autonomous driving technologies.

In-vehicle telecommunications equipment such as Telematics boxes has high technological hurdles to overcome, for instance, the need for high-speed data communications as well as different cellular bands depending on the country, region and cellular phone carrier. For this reason, unit antennas that supported the cellular bands of each region were previously required. Mitsubishi Materials solved this by utilizing its accumulated design technologies and achievements for ceramic chip antennas, and successfully developed multiband antennas, which are unit antennas for in-vehicle telecommunications equipment that support cellular bands worldwide. Multiband antennas are expected to contribute to the global standardization of in-vehicle telecommunications equipment in the future.

These multiband antennas conform to AEC-Q200 Grade 2 in-vehicle standards for the operating temperature limits (temperature range: -40 to 105 ℃), and also cover frequency bands from 699 to 3,950 MHz.

In order to promote the effective use of Mitsubishi Materials' products, including the developed multiband antennas, Mitsubishi Materials will support antenna designs to meet the needs of customers. It will also propose an optimal wireless communication environment through the utilization of its specialized facilities, and by evaluating and analyzing conditions such as the customer's product structure, parts layout and installation environment using the following methods.

  • Implementation of electromagnetic field simulations by using design data such as 3D CAD
  • Evaluation of 2D/3D radiation patterns in the anechoic chamber
  • Measurement of radiation efficiency through the Reverberation Chamber*8
  • Cellular band active measurement*9, evaluation and analysis by the TRP/TIS evaluation facilities

We set a vision to clarify what we want to become based on our corporate philosophy as follows: "We will become the leading business group committed to creating a sustainable world through materials innovation, with the use of our unique and distinctive technologies, for People, Society and the Earth." The Electronic Materials & Components Company will continue to contribute to society by providing unique electronic materials and components and related services to customers in a timely manner.

*1.
Multiband
Supports multiple frequency bands.
*2.
Cellular bands
Frequency bands mainly used for digital cellular phone services.
*3.
Connected Car
A car that perpetually connects to the Internet in order to improve the comfort and safety of the vehicle.
*4.
ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems)
An abbreviation for Intelligent Transport Systems. Systems which are designed to resolve road traffic problems such as traffic accidents and congestion through the use of information processing technologies.
*5.
Telematics
A service and system which uses a variety of information via the in-vehicle equipment which can connect to the Internet.
*6.
ECU (Electronic Control Unit)
An abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit. A device to control systems by using electronic circuits. Mainly for in-vehicle use.
*7.
eCall
A system for automatically reporting to the nearest police and fire station with the in-vehicle telecommunications function via an emergency call center in the case of an emergency, such as a car accident. Even if the driver is unconscious, it will automatically call the emergency contact to inform them of the location information of the car, which is acquired by GPS, and the directions up until the incident.
*8.
Reverberation Chamber
A test room designed to create a real, reproducible reverberation environment.
It conducts antenna performance (radiation efficiency) tests and measurements at high speeds and uses the data to improve communications problems.
*9.
Cellular band active measurement (TRP/TIS)
Measures important indicators to evaluate antenna efficiency. TRP stands for Total Radiated Power, and TIS stands for Total Isotropic Sensitivity.

[Reference Materials]

Press release on January 30, 2017
Launch of Antenna Design Optimization Solutions - Providing the optimum environment for wireless communications-
http://www.mmc.co.jp/corporate/ja/news/press/2017/17-0130.html(Japanese)

[Appearance: Two shapes are available depending on the location (space, area) where the product is installed in the car] Appearance: Two shapes are available depending on the location (space, area) where the product is installed in the car Click for enlarge

[Product Specifications]

  TYPE Ⅰ TYPE Ⅱ
Dimensions [mm] 143.0×15.0×9.0 119.0×44.5×9.0
Coaxial cable 1.5Dseries/1.0m

Dimensions: The protruding parts and the cable are excluded.

Coaxial cable: "1.5" indicates 1.5 mm in the external diameter of the insulator. "D" indicates 50 Ω (ohm) in characteristic impedance of cables.

*Characteristic impedance:
When the transmission line (coaxial cable in this case) has an infinite length in the distributed constant circuits (high frequency circuits), the ratio Z of the current (magnetic field) and voltage (electric field) will be constant and this value is called characteristic impedance specific to the transmission line.

However, the shape and specifications of the product is subject to change without notice due to product development.

[Antenna performance: Type Ⅰ] Antenna performance: Type Ⅰ Click for enlarge

(Explanation) The vertical axis shows Total Radiation Efficiency, which indicates the ratio of radiation power to the power supplied to the antenna. The horizontal axis indicates Frequency. The above figure reveals that radiation efficiency is maintained in the wide bands in the blue tinted area, which indicates the frequencies of the cellular bands worldwide, and that constant antenna performance is achieved, specifically -5 dB or higher. However, this performance shows representative values, and it does not mean guaranteed values.

July 31, 2017

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