InterDigital Communications Corp. has developed an antenna that “locks in” on a signal, refusing to waste power in radiating information in all directions.
Although the company is eyeing mobile cellular devices, the initial use of the technology will be used in wireless LANs. Once the antenna “learns” the source of the signal, it spends all of its power broadcasting the signal directly toward the target. InterDigital is pitching the idea to OEMs, executives at the company said this week.
Most laptops and other devices use a silicon antenna module mounted to one or more conductive strips. The InterDigital technology uses the antenna array to sense the direction of a signal, and then “concentrates” on that signal source.
Since a WLAN environment typically contains either a fixed access point, receiver, or both, the signal strength can be maximized. The InterDigital technology improves the signal-to-noise ratio by between 5 to 6 dB, producing a 50-percent increase in range, Gorsuch said.
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