Product category: Antennas and Feeders
News Release from: CSI Wireless | Subject: AVL-1 antenna signal splitter
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 17 July 2003
Patent for novel antenna signal splitter
CSI Wireless has been awarded a patent for its antenna splitter technology for the automotive market.
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CSI Wireless has been awarded a patent for its antenna splitter technology for the automotive market. Initially submitted for patent protection in early 2000, the AVL-1 antenna signal splitter uses a vehicle's standard AM/FM radio antenna to receive accuracy-enhancing differential GPS (DGPS) signals. GPS accuracy improvement is a requirement for many automotive applications and CSI's differential GPS technology is seen as an effective solution.
It enables users to improve their location accuracy to within 1-5m - substantially better than the 20m accuracy that is typically available from standard GPS.
Automotive manufacturers like the enhanced accuracy of differential GPS, but they have struggled with its extra costs, and with the fact it requires an additional antenna on the vehicle.
CSI Wireless' AVL-1 signal splitter provides a cost-effective and convenient solution by employing the vehicle's existing AM/FM car antenna - eliminating the need for another antenna.
When integrated as part of an overall solution, the AVL-1 provides highly accurate differential GPS positioning data for automotive applications such as car navigation, stolen vehicle tracking and recovery, intelligent transportation systems, and 911 emergency and safety applications.
The AVL-1 enables a standard AM/FM antenna to interface with CSI Wireless' 300kHz beacon differential technology.
The splitter effectively inserts itself between the vehicle's antenna and the radio, with a connector to one of CSI Wireless' DGPS receivers.
This eliminates the need for additional external DGPS antennas on all vehicles equipped with AM/FM antennas.
The AVL-1 provides signals to both the AM/FM radio and the DGPS receiver without performance degradation.
The signal splitter's performance is comparable to that of CSI Wireless' high-end "whip" antennas.
Smaller than a deck of cards, the AVL-1 is capable of functioning in extremely harsh environments, and can be easily installed in virtually all vehicles.
"Thanks to its low cost and size, and its excellent performance, our AVL-1 antenna signal splitter can open new opportunities in the automotive industry's evolving use of GPS", said Stephen Verhoeff, CSI Wireless' President and CEO.
"There are many applications in the automobile industry that will require increased accuracy and we look forward to the AVL-1 addressing that need".
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