PREMO, the leading manufacturer of RFID components, has announced the KGEA-MRHPM Series, the Middle-Range Antennas with better mechanical and electrical performance and optimized size for LF emitter antennas for Automotive RFID in the market.
Most of the vehicles currently manufactured in the world with a KES (Keyless Entry System) use several short antennas. Depending on the quality of the vehicle and the system,3 to 6 antennas are used (in the door handles, interior, trunk and/or bumper locations), depending on car size.
Current technology trends push the car side to reduce number of the antennas, to improve electrical and mechanical performance. This requires from manufacturers to transition from 4-6 short range antennas to 3 Middle-range antennae, and ultimately to 2-1 Long range antenna.
The KGEA-MRHPM Series (mid-range antennae) have been designed to reduce the number of antennas compared to the total number short antennas with equal or better performance reading distance and H-field around the whole vehicle, and with the best guarantees of robustness: both mechanical and IP69K or better waterproof grade of the automotive market.
Fig. 1 Road map 360ºC of Strength Magnetic Field comparative between Short vs Middle vs Long range
The proposed antenna KGEA-MRHPM series solves the technical challenges, preserving all the advantages of Mid-Range antennas while keeping all the favorable features of the short-range antennas: cost effective, mechanically robust and thermally stable.
This antenna is highly recommended when you need high waterproof protection IP (IP69K) and high mechanical loads on it (inflection, torsion and drop tests). The part is fully covered with thermoplastic HPM (High Pressure Molding) technology, using a PREMO patented technique where there is no point of union between different plastics (bobbin and final over-molding), allowing a complete water-proof antenna.
Also, another solution provided by this antenna is its built-in connector (integrated into the HPM over-molding process) to avoid ASSY Cables + external connector, reducing BOM, cost and easing assembly.
With such size ( 168mm length x 16mm width x 11,65mm height) and high field magnetic strength (H-field= 140.5dBµV/m@ 2App@3meter(ref)) and HPM (full over-molded, built-in connector), the KGEA-MRHPM series is the best and most suitable cost-effective solution that embodies an optimization of reading distance, sensitivity, mechanical robustness and IP Waterproof issue.
Fig 2. KGEA-MRHPM (Integrated connector). Mid-Range Antenna LF for smart entry system.
Of course, larger antennae need long magnetic cores (very brittle) and are less stable in the standard range of operation temperatures ( -40ºC to 85ºC). PREMO solved this issue using high temperature stability cores and protecting the core against magnetostriction using low CTE (coefficient thermal expansion) materials and proper L/D relationship of the magnetic core.
The antenna meets the AEC-Q200 (specific automotive quality standard) among others more restrictive tests specified by automotive OEMs.
This KGEA-MRHPM series antenna can be considered as Universal Mid-Range antenna suitable to fit in any car location (interior, exterior, dry and/or wet zone) using always the same fixing method and same connector. This is particularly important to facilitate PKE/PEPS harness and architecture design in the car side.
First samples of (KGEA-MRHPM-B-0175J) are already available.