Part II – Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Antennas for ITS Trials

For consumers, Connected Car applications have picked up speed. Intelligent Transportation Services (ITS) trials using DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) technology at 5.9 GHz have also seen increased activity. Many Smart Highway projects – including Collision Avoidance to Truck Parking to Tolling – utilize these networks and trials.

There are two categories for communication channels in the ITS trials: V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) and V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure). Mobile Mark Antenna for ITS and Connected Car applications are available for both V2V and V2I installations.

For Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications along highways and at city-intersections, Mobile Mark offers a variety of site antennas, providing both directional coverage and omni-directional coverage.

According to Jerry Posluszny, Mobile Mark’s Director of Engineering, “Different settings typically require different coverage patterns.” Mobile Mark offers a variety of choices within these two categories. “A lower gain omni-pattern might be ideal at an urban intersection, while a higher gain omni-pattern might be needed in a highway rest stop. Similarly, a high-gain directional antennas can be used to cover an extended length of highway or a small section of an intersection, while a lower gain antenna might be ideal system fill-in along dense urban streets.”

The ECO Series omni-directional antennas are available in 6, 9 or 12 dBi gain, ranging from 10” to 18” long. These antennas radiate quite far, while providing 360° coverage. The antennas can be mounted on a pole or tower and are enclosed in a tough fiberglass radome.

For tighter settings, such as an urban Smart Intersection, the RM-WHF offers 5 dBi gain in a small, compact package. The RM-WHF measures only 3” tall by 1” wide and can be mounted easily on a traffic light fixture in the intersection, or adjacent to the intersection. This rugged antenna will stand up to harsh weather or to attempted vandalism.

The SMW Series, with special pole-mounting option, combines DSRC, WiFi and Cellular in a single antenna. This antenna effectively integrates Vehicle-to-Infrastructure over DSRC, Intersection Telematics over WiFi, and Cellular Backbone Communications. The antenna features a low profile, only 3.2” high, and radiates in an omni-directional pattern.

Directional antenna solutions for Intelligent Transportation Services (ITS) trails include Yagi antennas and Panel Antennas. With coverage ranging from 10 dBi gain to 18 dBi gain, there is an antenna to match most coverage requirements.

The Yagi antennas are a versatile option. They are available in 12 dBi gain, provide very wide elevation coverage (up to 30°), which makes them very easy to align with other antennas. They are also extremely compact, measuring 7.5” long x 2.75” tall x only .56” wide, and can blend into many roadside settings.

The PN18-5900 Series offers the highest gain, at 18 dBi, and is built in a surprisingly small package (only 5.8” x 5.8”) while both electrically efficient and mechanically sound.

The PS Series sector antennas are available in four different sectors sizes: 45°, 60°, 90° and 120° wide. Multiple antennas can be linked together for wider coverage.

Mobile Mark also offers many antenna solutions for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2I) communications for Connected Car applications. These antenna options are be discussed in Part I of this series.
About Mobile Mark, Inc.

Mobile Mark, Inc. designs and manufactures site, mobile and device antennas for 600 MHz – 9 GHz. Applications include GPS Tracking & Fleet Management, Cellular GSM/CDMA, LTE, WiMAX, WiFi, RFID, Public Safety, Military and Machine-to-Machine (M2M). Engineering and custom design services available. Mobile Mark’s global headquarters, which include research facilities and manufacturing plant, are located near Chicago, IL. An additional manufacturing and sales facility is located near Birmingham, UK. Further information on Mobile Mark’s ITS infrastructure antennas for Connected Car applications can be found on the website: mobilemark.com

Contact:
Eleanor Sylvan, VP Marketing
Mobile Mark, Inc.
Tel: 847-671-6690
esylvan@mobilemark.com
mobilemark.com