Two-Way Street: Choosing the Right Antenna for Connected Vehicle Applications
Whether they’re carrying passengers, patients, police, or potatoes, modern vehicles rely on wireless for a host of applications. Some are common, such as remote diagnostics, turn-by-turn navigation, and asset tracking, while others are cutting edge, such as fully autonomous driving and software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Read on to learn more about these applications, including how to choose the right antenna.
Selling and Delivering Upgrades OTA
SDVs are the vehicular equivalent of software-defined networks (SDNs): Whether it’s a car or a router, capabilities are increasingly based on software and firmware rather than baked into hardware.
The ability to modify or add capabilities isn’t limited to mundane bug fixes, cybersecurity patches, or navigation map updates. SDV enables vehicle owners to purchase major features and enhancements that are delivered over Wi-Fi or cellular.
Tesla is an example of the SDV business model. Model S 60D owners can increase battery capacity by 25% with an over-the-air (OTA) software upgrade that they order from the infotainment screen. That’s roughly an additional 50 miles of range.
For vehicle owners, part of OTA’s appeal is convenience. They don’t have to waste time driving to the dealership and then waiting. For automakers, OTA is an opportunity to wring thousands of dollars of additional revenue out of a vehicle long after it’s been sold — and without sharing that upsale revenue with a dealership. This opportunity includes used vehicles, where subsequent owners might want to buy capabilities that the original owner didn’t want or couldn’t afford.
Enabling Asset Tracking, Navigation, and Telematics in Remote Areas
Sixteen percent of the land in the U.S. and 70% of Canada have no cellular service because those places are too sparsely populated to justify the expense of building cell sites. Satellite-based Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) get a lot of attention for how they extend connectivity to smartphones in those areas, but they’re equally viable for vehicular applications. (For more details, including how to choose the right antenna, see “The Sky is the Limit: Combining Cellular, GNSS, and NTN for Seamless Global Connectivity, Positioning, and More.”)
Some telematics applications have used satellite connectivity in remote areas for decades, such as tracking high-value assets on rural interstates. But the arrival of NTNs such as Amazon/Kuiper, OneWeb, Skylo, and SpaceX/Starlink has expanded the options and lowered the cost of service, thus making it practical for a wider range of vehicular applications.
One example is autonomous tractor trailers. Seamless broadband connectivity is key for instantly receiving an alert that a major accident has shut down the interstate and then downloading the alternate route.
Autonomous trucks also are among the types of vehicles leveraging “smart roads,” whose roadside vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) systems enhance both safety and efficiency by providing real-time data about traffic jams, black ice, and other conditions. (For a deeper dive, see
“Autonomous Truck Specialist Leverages 4G/5G, GNSS, and Wi-Fi to Maximize Productivity and Safety.”)
Another telematics use case is tracking the location and status of the truck, its high-value cargo, or both, regardless of whether it’s autonomous or has a driver. This isn’t a new use case, but NTN adds value by plugging coverage holes. Take the example of a refrigerated trailer with six figures’ worth of seafood leaving a Southern California port for Las Vegas. If the reefer temperature begins to trend down, or if the truck’s transmission begins to heat up, NTN ensures that even on a desert highway, the connectivity is always there to upload those alerts and diagnostic information. These insights help avoid cargo loss or vehicle damage by enabling a mechanic to be dispatched to not only meet it en route, but also bring the right parts to get it back in service.
Smart Cities Minimize Traffic Jams and Pollution with IoT-Enabled Parking
Chronic traffic jams and pollution are why New York City, Chicago, and other major cities have implemented or are considering congestion pricing in their downtowns and midtowns. Another solution — one that’s much easier to sell to voters — is making it easier to find parking.
This smart cities application uses IoT modules in parking meters and sensors that broadcast updates about available spots on the street and in municipal garages. This real-time information minimizes traffic and in turn pollution because drivers know where the closest open spots are, so they aren’t circling the block.
Cellular is one way to link the modules to a central platform that pushes updates out to apps running on drivers’ phones or on their vehicle’s navigation/infotainment system. Wi-Fi is another option, especially if the city already has an extensive municipal Wi-Fi network.
In addition to these real-time applications, historical occupancy data enables cities to make informed decisions about where to add on- and off-street parking. These insights also can be used to implement demand pricing, where the system uses cellular or Wi-Fi to push changes to meters throughout the day based on usage. Finally, municipal health departments can use this data to understand how parking occupancy affects levels of asthma and other pollution-related disease in nearby neighborhoods.
Choosing the Right Antenna
All of these applications have one thing in common: A great antenna is critical for maximizing their performance, reliability, and impact.
Durability is a top consideration. Vehicles, parking meters, and V2I infrastructure must endure temperature extremes, the sun’s heat and UV rays, rain, and ice. Focus on models that have IP ratings and other specs for resistance to weather, water, and dust, as well as vibration for vehicular-mounted antennas. If the antenna will be external, make sure the cable and its connectors also are ruggedized. (For a deeper dive, see “How IP and IK Ratings Measure Real-World Durability” and “What’s Inside is What Counts: Understanding Antenna Coaxial Cables.”)
If the application uses GNSS, focus on specs such as gain and Time to First Fix (TTFF), as well as multipath mitigation, which reduces errors caused by signal reflections in urban canyons. GNSS antennas come in a variety of designs, including active models, which use a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) to boost weak signals. (For more tips, see “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Top Tips for Designing a Transportation-Grade GNSS Solution.”)
For more information about Taoglas antennas and engineering services for transportation applications, visit https://www.taoglas.com/markets/transportation.
Get in touch for orders or any queries: sales@rfdesign.co.za / +27 21 555 8400
Courtesy of Taoglas
