Omron Wi-PlaDs™ UWB antennas use a polymer identified specifically for this application, allowing them to be manufactured using Omrons proprietary moulding technology to deliver a cost-effective solution meeting the performance requirements to allow high bandwidth video transmissions via a spread spectrum technology. Key benefits of Wi-PlaDs antennas include flexibility, allowing antennas to be produced in a variety of shapes, enabling compact and individualistic product designs. Compared to ceramic antennas, the antennas also offer improved omni-directional gain. Omron is initially delivering Wi-PlaDs antennas in two forms. The S1 plug-in antenna is characterised for wall-powered applications such as consumer TV receivers, where the highest performance is required. For portable and other applications, where space is the primary driver, Omron offers the N1 surface mounting chip antenna.

Michael Sturm, general manager for European marketing at Omron Electronic Components Business Europe, said, Omrons new UWB antennas make it realistic for any manufacturer of high volume consumer and office equipment to UWB-enable their products, giving a high performance wireless connection at an affordable cost. Our vision is that UWB will allow consumers to enjoy HD video wherever they wish, without the inconvenience of unsightly wiring.  He added, Omron offers reliable and low power electromechanical switching components for ADSL and VDSL telecoms access networks. We now also have optical and switching and multiplexing solutions addressing optical access systems for FTTH or CWDM transmission systems. Wi-PlaDs positions Omron for success in wireless HDTV streaming also.

"The antenna is an important part of any wireless solution," said Dan Karr, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Tzero, creators of the innovative UltraMIMO UWB solution for streaming HDTV video.  The Omron WXA-S1FL provides an exceptional implementation - optimised for the challenging application of video transmission - that should meet the needs of even the most demanding consumer device manufacturer."

The Omron Wi-PLADS WXA-S1FL is an omni-directional UWB antenna displaying 0dBi gain, flatness within 3dB, and VSWR significantly below 3.0 in the frequency range 3.1GHz to 4.9GHz. This is the frequency range used by the WiMedia™ UWB common radio platform, which defines MAC and PHY layers optimised for PC and consumer electronic applications. The WXA-S1FL has a profile of 39.5mm and diameter 23mm, delivering a compact antenna solution optimised for wireless multimedia networking.

For portable applications where space is at a premium, the Omron Wi-PLADS WXA-N1SL SMD Polymeric Chip Antenna offers similar performance, with a form factor of just 12mm x 5mm x 1.1mm. The  WXA-N1SL is optimized for WiMedia Alliances UWB common radio platform as well as for the Certified Wireless USB specifications from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). OMRON will also work to optimize all future versions of the antenna for the recently announced next-generation BluetoothTM-Over-UWB platform.