Embedded wireless antenna

Antenna Overview

The must and most important part of a wireless system is antenna. Antennas are specifically used at receivers and transmitters. For instance an electronic embedded system supplies an AC signal to the transmitter device. Then the transmitter device converts AC signal according to its specifications. Such as an RF transmitter converts the Ac signal to RF signal, feed to the RF antenna, which is transmitted to the destination RF receiver. At RF receiver opposite case occurs.

Antenna Specifications

Most times antennas are included with the receiver / transmitters. Since receiver / transmitter contains antenna interfaces, so you can always select a separate antenna according to the requirement specifications. To select an antenna the things that matter its performance are the size and the style. You can find huge antennas such dish antennas to smallest integrated antennas into a wireless embedded system. According to size and styles antennas are divided into many types.

Antenna Styles

In common you'll see the antennas with the name directional antennas, arrays, microstrips, panel or sector antenna, and whip antenna. Each antenna type radiates signal in a different manner.

Directional Antennas

Directional antennas are available as unidirectional, bi-directional, and omnidirectional. Unidirectional transmits the signals only in one direction. Bi-directional allows transmission in two directions. And omnidirectional antenna transmits signals in all the directions horizontally.

Antenna Arrays

Antenna array contains multi antenna element such as slots, dipoles, microstrips, loops, etc. These offer unidirectional narrow beam transmission with higher directivity and gain.

Microstrips Antenna

Microstrips are the small size antennas. These are integrated in the integrated circuits or printed circuit boards (PCBs). You can find them in plenty of sizes and shapes.

Panel / sector Antennas

Panel or sector antennas also consist of numbers of antenna element like arrays. But unlike arrays they receive and transmit in a cell. They work in cell and radiate signals from different sectors of the cell. A common example is your mobile phones. These are deployed in PDAs (Personal digital Assistants) as well. Mostly you'll find them in flat panel shape.

Whip Antenna

Whip antennas are the rod antennas. These are flexible to increase the length. Normally offer a short range. They are simple to use but quite complex to implement. Most remote control toys contain embedded whip antennas. Your TV rod antenna is another example. Higher frequency whip antennas are also available. Higher frequency whip antennas are also embedded into some mobile sets.

Dish Antennas

Dish antennas are available in variety of form factors, styles, shapes, and physical structure. These are used in plenty of applications. Satellite communication, TV programming, and Internet are the common applications.