Brendan Pell

The design and realization of uniplanar CPW fed PICA slot antennas

In modern wireless communication system design, antennas with wide impedance bandwidth are desirable for numerous reasons. An antenna with a wide impedance bandwidth may be used for transmission and reception of multiple narrowband services in a multi-purpose platform. Alternatively a single wideband service may be of interest for various radar and imaging applications, or for impulse based radio communications in the FCC ultra-wideband (UWB) regime from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz.

Custom-directional wideband PICA for multi-service vehicular applications

A wideband antenna for use in the vehicular environment is presented, based on the uniplanar CPW fed PICA slot antenna. The antenna provides a very wide impedance bandwidth from 730MHz to 15GHz, sufficient for many of the wireless services used in modern automobiles. The radiating mechanism of the antenna is able to be described in two ways at various frequencies, leading to alternate radiation patterns for various services.

Experimental Study of the Effect of Modern Automotive Paints on Vehicular Antennas

Todays automobiles are fitted with antennas for many wireless services, with modern vehicular antennas frequently configured in blade or “shark-fin” housings, or as planar roof mounted antennas. In these configurations vehicle manufacturers may wish to improve the appearance of the finished vehicle by painting these antennas or their coverings. This paper provides experimental results detailing the effect of two commonly used automotive paint chemistries both with and without the metallic particles used to create a “metallic paint” effect. Electrostatic primers are also considered. Narrowband and wideband antennas are investigated, and the effect of these coatings on impedance bandwidth and radiation is observed.

Advancements in Automotive Antennas

Todays production vehicles are fitted with a multitude of antennas to facilitate communication and enable a moving vehicle to connect with the outside world. Recent years have seen the introduction of new electronic devices to the automotive environment. These devices are usually designed to aid the driver, increase safety, or enhance the driving experience, and many of them rely on wireless communication to perform their task. Antennas are a necessary part of any wireless communication system, enabling transmission and reception of signals in free-space. At the same time, automobile manufacturers have been seeking to create cost effective, fuel efficient vehicles with attractive styling. This leads to a focus on sleek, lightweight vehicles with reduced aerodynamic drag and improved styling an emphasis that would naturally conflict with fitment of traditional antennas. These market preferences, along with the technological factors, have combined in the past few years to drive significant innovation in the world of vehicular antennas. In this chapter, we review the basics of antennas and radiation and examine the frequencies and services which are commonly used in the automotive environment. We will briefly discuss the antennas traditionally used on vehicles, and then detail the recent developments and trends in automotive antenna research.

Performance of Embedded Multi-Frequency Communication Devices in Smart Composite Structures

Lately, there has been an increased demand for vehicle manufacturers to incorporate a large number of communication, security, guidance and entertainment devices in their new vehicle models. In recent decades, the list has expanded from the AM and FM radio antennas to include GPS, mobile phone, collision avoidance radar, Digital Radio and Digital TV antennas. In addition, new technologies such as vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to road side communication are being implemented at 5.9 GHz in the next generation of vehicles. In the past the AM/FM antenna was typically a mast antenna protruding from the vehicle’s exterior, recently however, the trend has been to limit the visibility of vehicular antennas as much as possible to improve vehicle design and aerodynamics. This has lead to integration of antennae so that they become a seamless part of the vehicle structure. This paper reports on a parametric study of embedding an antenna in a polymeric composite substrate in relation to several material processing and coating parameters.Copyright

Signal Quality Evaluation of Embedded Antennas in Composite Panels

In this paper, an attempt is made to evaluate signal performance of an antenna embedded in a viscoelastic thermoset composite polymer commonly known as Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC). Signal quality is investigated by studying the impedance matching and radiation pattern results of an embedded antenna. The investigation was done experimentally and using simulation software CST Microwave Studio. Two types of antenna have been investigated. One being planar inverted conical antenna (PICA) that operates in the range of about 850 MHz to about 10 GHz and the second one being slot dipole antenna that operates in the range of 1.2 GHz to 1.4 GHz. The signal quality was evaluated at four different antenna configurations. Configuration 1 – antenna with 0° angle deformation, configuration 2 – antenna with 22° angle, configuration 3 – antenna with 45° angle and configuration 4 – 90° angle. The effect of these four configurations on signal quality of each antenna is discussed and simulation results are compared to experimental results.Copyright

Deformation modelling: Embedding a communication device in a polymeric composite material

In this paper, an attempt is made to extend the deformation model of a communication device embedded in a viscoelastic thermoset composite polymer commonly known as Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC). The original model takes into account time dependent heat transfer from the mould surface into the SMC charge and the consequent time dependent viscosity propagation during the initial stage of the mould closing and subsequent filling. The required model parameters for viscosity and elasticity have been determined from rheological testing. The extended model will examine the effects of a number of process parameters such as mould closing speed, mould temperature and initial charge temperature. The effect of these parameters on the deformation of the communication device is discussed and is compared to experimental findings.