UWB “tulip” antenna lets devices detect distance

KYOCERA AVX has launched the innovative new surface-mount, on-ground, ultra-wideband (UWB) LDS Tulip antenna (9002305L0-L01K) for 6.0–8.5GHz applications at Embedded World North America.

Debuted at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany, on April 9, 2024, the UWB LDS Tulip antenna was awarded the 2024 Electronics Specifier Electronics Excellence Award. DigiKey and Mouser now stock this antenna, including samples for purchase.

The UWB LDS Tulip antenna is crafted using laser direct structuring (LDS) technology. This advanced process enables KYOCERA AVX to create conductive traces on intricate 3D structures with unique patterns, resulting in antennas that provide various benefits like space and weight savings, precise performance, and optimal efficiency. The Tulip antenna boasts an omnidirectional radiation pattern with exceptional phase stability, constant group delay, and linear polarization, enhancing signal reconstruction in low-energy, short-range, and high-bandwidth UWB systems.

Its exceptional group delay and phase distribution enhance the accuracy of phase difference of arrival (PDoA), improving services like angle of arrival (AoA) and time of flight (ToF), enhancing device localization precision, and ensuring secure communication. With its on-ground functionality, it can be placed anywhere on a PCB, offering design flexibility not found in traditional off-ground antennas that require specific placement along PCB edges.

The UWB LDS Tulip antenna is compact, measuring 6.40 x 6.40 x 5.58mm and weighing around 0.1g, supporting SMT pick-and-place assembly. It complies with RoHS and REACH regulations, optimized for 6.0–8.5GHz UWB applications across various sectors like smart city, healthcare, retail, and IoT.

On a 40 x 40mm PCB, the Tulip antenna typically delivers 2ns maximum group delay, 4.3dBi peak gain, 2W continuous wave power handling, and 61% average efficiency.

This patented antenna is manufactured in South Korea.