July 2, 2003
Furukawa Electric has recently developed, and begun marketing, a compact helical antenna for the 300 MHz band to be used in low-power wireless data communications. Work is under way on using this communications system in the field of networked home appliances.
Photo 1
Appearance of EF312-H1
Photo 2
Antenna mounted on a starter kit of Seiko Epson
While maintaining the directivity and gain of ordinary one-quarter-wavelength monopole antennas, the antenna (EF312-H1, shown in Photo 1) has achieved a size-reduction to 10 mm in diameter and 30 mm in length, increasing the degree of freedom in designing installation, and thus permitting mounting on various terminal equipment.
Moreover, with its frequency bandwidth of more than 10 MHz, the antenna is suitable for the RF module for low-power wireless data communications (S4E167240010000, shown in Photo 2), which Seiko Epson Corporation has developed based on frequency diversity (*1). Furukawa Electric has already begun marketing jointly with Seiko Epson, building a track record of sales on the set comprising the RF module and the antenna.
The low-power wireless communications do not have the shortcomings of infrared communications such as weakness against obstacles and short communication spans, and what is more, they use a weak electromagnetic wave in the 300 MHz band that requires neither license nor authorization, so that work is under way on using this system in the fields of networked home appliances such as BEMS (Building Energy Management System) and HEMS (Home Energy Management System) as well as home security systems. Thus the antenna developed here is expected as a communications antenna to be used in the equipment for these systems.
Although only an external type of the product is available at present, a board-mounting type is under development to enable marketing within this year, and the company plans to manufacture and sell 10 million antennas per year in 2005 where full-fledged employment of the low-power wireless communications is expected to come.
This antenna will be exhibited in the Seiko Epson's booth at the 6th Embedded Systems Expo & Conference in Tokyo (ESEC 2003) to be held from July 9 to 11 at Tokyo Big Sight.
Fundamental Characteristics
- Frequency band: 300~320 MHz
- Bandwidth: 10 MHz or more (typical)
- Maximum gain: -1 dBi (typical)
*1 A wireless communications system where two different waves are used simultaneously.