Antenna is made for ultrawideband comms

A novel SMD polymeric antenna suits short-range wireless ultrawideband (UWB) applications.

Omron has developed a novel SMD polymeric antenna for short-range wireless ultrawideband (UWB) applications.

The launch of the WXA-N1SL is scheduled for 1st June 2006.

Driven by consumer demand for simple wireless functionality: "point-and-shoot" usability and increasingly mobile lifestyles, the wireless communications market, led by Bluetooth and wireless LAN, has shown phenomenal growth over the past few years.

UWB is now attracting particular attention as a solution for high-speed, high-volume reliable data transmission over short distances.

UWB is a recently commercialised short-range wireless technology, expected to be widely adopted in consumer goods.

Applied in dongles, personal computers, printers, mobile telephones, digital televisions and DVD players, UWB functions as a low-power-consuming wireless USB (universal serial bus), allowing users to transfer large amounts of data rapidly between various devices in close range.

For example, UWB makes it possible to transmit high-definition video data wirelessly between a high definition digital TV and DVD player, thereby eliminating the need for expensive and unsightly wires.

Because of the wide frequency range on which UWB operates, electronic devices need to be equipped with a special ultrawideband antenna for UWB compatibility.

Although various antennas are already available, Omron's WXA-N1SL SMD polymeric antenna combines compact size with high performance, using the company's proprietary moulding technology and dielectric polymer material.

As a result, with Omron's antenna, ODMs and OEMs deploying UWB can benefit from flexibility of antenna shape design without compromising on size or performance.

Capitalising on its expertise in precision manufacturing, Omron has now succeeded in mass production of the antenna at its factory in Shiga prefecture, Japan.

The WXA-N1SL is optimised for WiMedia Alliance's UWB common radio platform as well as for the Certified Wireless USB specifications from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).

Omron will also work to optimise all future versions of the antennas for the recently announced next-generation Bluetooth-over-UWB platform.

Omron has been collaborating closely with UWB chipset companies over the past 12 months, including San Diego, California-based Staccato Communications, a UWB technology pioneer and Certified Wireless USB leader.

"Omron's production-ready N1 UWB antenna offer a small form-factor, high performance and low cost solution for our customers that complement our Ripcord single-chip, all-CMOS products based on Certified Wireless USB", said Jason Ellis, Director of Business Development, Staccato Communications.

"Omron's antennas were accepted for inclusion and have been shipping with our Ripcord development kits".

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