TechApp Consultants to reduce physical dimension of compact antenna by up to 50 per cent

TAC will collaborate with the University of Surrey to develop new technology that will reduce the antenna dimensions by up to 50 per cent, whilst maintaining high RF (radio wave) performance in TAC’s C-range of IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) products.

The focus of the technology developments is on antennas working at UHF 400 frequency band, which are widely used in the satellite IoT/M2M industry yet are currently either physically big and bulky, or low in gain or efficiency. The goal of the SPRINT project is to reduce the antenna’s dimensions by up to half of the smallest products on the market today, while achieving the equivalent performance in gain and efficiency.

The research group RF Antennas and Propagations at the University of Surrey has the facilities and expertise in carrying out the required work on these innovative compact antennas. These facilities include the design and electromagnetic simulation software such as High-Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) and CST MICROWAVE STUDIO (CST MWS), the measurement equipment, the antenna test range and manufacturing tools.

The project will be funded by a grant from the £4.8 million SPRINT (SPace Research and Innovation Network for Technology) programme that provides unprecedented access to university space expertise and facilities. SPRINT helps businesses through the commercial exploitation of space data and technologies.