The surge in Internet of Things (IoT) devices has significantly increased the demand for antenna design solutions. Despite the booming opportunities to innovate with novel RF-enabled devices, many organizations are grappling with a shortage of RF expertise and limited budgets to get the reliable, robust connectivity required.

Previously, conventional RF antenna design was challenging — necessitating specialized professionals and computer-aided design (CAD) electromagnetic (EM) simulation software. Coupled with high capital expenditures (CAPEX) and non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs, RF antenna design was an intricate undertaking. However, Ignion’s Virtual Antenna® technology has introduced a new frontier, making antenna design accessible even for ground up IoT device construction.

Harnessing the pervasive nature of cloud computing and machine learning (ML), Ignion is further democratizing RF antenna design. Through its Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosted Oxion™ platform, the complexity and costs of antenna design are significantly reduced.

With the advent of various IoT devices, antennas have evolved dramatically. Antenna design, while being an essential component of any connected device, has remained a specialized field. Current antenna designs must be increasingly miniaturized due to the explosion of RF antenna applications in products like asset trackers and sensors. This downscaling introduces complexity and requires engineers to fully comprehend the various trade-offs, balancing size, power consumption, performance, reliability, and thermal characteristics cost-effectively.

Ignion’s Virtual Antenna® technology allows seamless deployment of miniature antennas across numerous frequency bands and protocols. This adaptability ensures integration into any IoT device, irrespective of its protocol type.

Rooted in extensive research and RF technology expertise, Ignion’s Virtual Antenna® components have revolutionized antenna design. A non-resonant antenna, housed on a printed circuit board (PCB), coupled with a matching network, enables the ground plane to function as the resonant surface for the device, significantly enhancing its response. Additionally, Virtual Antenna® technology optimizes space utilization—an increasingly important consideration as IoT devices such as sensors continue to shrink.

With a single Ignion Virtual Antenna® component, connectivity across Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GNSS, 3G to 5G, or ISM, among others, can be provided. Its versatility makes it reusable across various device models, and geographic territories where differing frequencies are required to improve scalability. Despite the increasing proliferation of IoT devices, acquiring RF and antenna expertise remains a challenge.

Ignion has stepped up to address this gap by leveraging the universal accessibility of the cloud to make antenna design simple for anyone regardless of their RF expertise and available from anywhere.

Ignion has always focused on predictability in its antenna design services, aiming to simplify the customer journey. With the introduction of the Oxion™ platform, this journey is now cloud-based, making antenna design more accessible and efficient.

Ignion’s Oxion™ platform, hosted on AWS obviates the need for physical prototyping, reducing risks in the design process. This approach democratizes antenna design, as it requires minimal RF expertise and enables access to the latest technologies.

By inputting simple parameters: the size of the PCB and the desired frequencies (up to 5), and the type of device, the AWS-hosted digital twin, powered by machine learning and Ignion’s two decades of RF experience, provides key recommendations for building your antenna design on the PCB. These include:

• An Ignion Virtual Antenna® component specifically selected for your device and application.
• A location recommendation on a bare PCB that will optimize antenna performance.
• Matching network components and topology.
• Antenna performance estimation, including average antenna efficiency and reflection coefficient.
• Detailed design tips to ensure successful implementation.

Oxion™ can emulate various aspects of the previously physical feasibility and design steps, providing guidance for performance improvements and estimating full design requirements.

Oxion™ isn’t just about changing mindsets—it encourages designers to consider connectivity and antenna considerations at the inception of the design process. By addressing your Virtual Antenna® requirements early, you can expedite your market entry with a successful, certified design.

Utilizing Ignion’s Oxion™, you save substantially by reducing the need for physical prototyping—you only start incurring costs when you’re ready for physical product development and certification. Ignion also offers pre-certification facilitation with some service providers.

With Ignion’s Oxion™, the absence of an in-house RF engineer or comprehensive antenna expertise need not be a barrier to device designer’s ambitions to penetrate the market quickly and successfully. By making antenna design more accessible and versatile, Ignion is facilitating the realization of more innovative IoT solutions, irrespective of RF expertise.

Try Oxion™ now.

Global shipping and logistics are rapidly evolving with digital transformation ushering in unprecedented levels of transparency, efficiency, safety, and speed in the delivery of goods[1]. At the center of this revolution are container tracking systems. These asset tracking devices are pivotal in automating supply chain processes and providing real-time information about the location and status of containers, which is vital for businesses to optimize operations and enhance decision-making capabilities.

Container tracking devices are usually components of a larger fleet tracking systems and are already prevalent in powered refrigerated containers (reefers). Now, thanks to miniaturized and optimized low power IoT connectivity container trackers are increasingly getting deployed in dry containers using battery-powered tracking devices[2]. This new generation of container tracking is made possible through optimized small devices fitting inside the ripple wall of the container. Trackers, equipped with sensors, can monitor various parameters such as CO2 levels, temperature, humidity, and shock levels. These sensors, leveraging technologies like LTE-M/NB-IoT, GNSS, and BLE, transmit critical data wirelessly, allowing for immediate response to any anomalies detected during transit. To deliver a reliable tracking service, robust connectivity is essential. Container trackers must operate in diverse and often challenging environments, from the vast open seas to densely packed ports over remote highways/railways.

The typical wireless standards used in container tracking devices are:

• Cellular IoT (e.g., LTE-M, NB-IoT, or Cat 1 bis) to deliver device data when within range of cellular network (popular antenna – TRIO mXTEND™).
• GNSS (GPS and others) to record an accurate global location (popular antenna – DUO mXTEND™).
• BLE/Wi-Fi and other short range to connect to vessel/ship wireless infrastructure and smartphones (popular antenna – NANO mXTEND™).

Integrated antennas are increasingly popular for container trackers, as they are small, robust, and easy to manufacture, especially compared to external antennas. At Ignion we are experiencing increased demand in container tracker projects, due to the omnidirectional Virtual Antenna® technology ensuring high-performance multi-radio connectivity in space-constrained devices.

[1] https://www.iotm2mcouncil.org/iot-library/news/smart-logistics-news/vodafone-partnership-automates-cargo-tracking/

[2] https://www.hapag-lloyd.com/es/company/press/releases/2022/08/hapag-lloyd-starts-installation-of-tracking-devices-on-its-dry-c.html

• Ensure robust connectivity across the globe
  • Optimized antenna performance is key:
    • Define device dimensions based on RF needs (use tools like ai).
    • Place the antenna component first in your HW layout and then the rest.
  • Needed frequency bands only: fine-tune antenna response to only cover the needed global bands with the flexibility that will ensure the highest performance. Going broader than needed can compromise performance.
• Small device size with multiple wireless standards
  • Use separated antennas for each concurrent wireless technology to achieve the highest performance.
  • Minimize antenna coupling: using the same antenna vendor for all wireless standards used in the device ensures proper control and minimizing coupling between antennas.
• Design for harsh ambient environments, even when close to metal
  • Keep some distance between the antenna and the metal wall and optimize antenna response through tuning. Read more here on this blog post.
  • Account for the potting influence on the antenna: protects against humidity and harsh environments.
• Ensure long battery life
  • High antenna efficiency enables optimal energy consumption during transmission. Omnidirectional antennas ensure high efficiency regardless of the orientation of the device.
  • Lowering GNSS/GPS radio Time To First Fix (TTFF), by using a high-performance omnidirectional antenna will increase battery life. Read more about our TTFF study here.

As container tracking becomes increasingly integral to modern logistics, the need for reliable connectivity solutions becomes paramount. Ignion is at the forefront of providing robust, efficient, and flexible antenna solutions, ensuring that container trackers meet the high standards required for global shipping operations. Go ahead and get your antenna solution today designed by our AI-powered antenna design platform Oxion™.