Fractus antenna enables FM radio in new portable devices

  • FracFMTM antenna offers superior performance, low cost and minimal size across entire FM frequency range

Barcelona, 6 November 2007 - Fractus, the pioneer developer of fractal antenna technology, today announced its first standard antenna for the FM frequency. The FracFM antenna's compact dimensions (32 X 11 X 1.6mm - about one third the area of a normal postage stamp), make it an ideal high-performance solution for portable devices such as ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs), gaming devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), private mobile radio (PMR) and laptops.

FracFM requires no active amplification or tuning, meaning it covers the entire FM frequency range (78-108 MHz), without the need for extra components, providing not only superior performance, but also cost savings and a reduced bill-of-materials. The antenna has been designed and tested with the user and the different propagation environments in mind to ensure consistent performance.

"There is a huge demand for integrating FM into small, portable consumer devices, but today the size and quality of standard antennas is an obstacle. After all, consumers buying high-end gaming devices or PDAs are not willing to compromise on design or performance" said Alfonso Sanz, Fractus product manager, Products & Services Division. "FracFM enables the creation of fashionable, slim devices with an excellent FM connection."

A traditional antenna design approach requires an antenna that is longer than most portable devices. This means the antenna has been integrated into the headphone cable, rendering the device useless without it and unsuitable for use with Bluetooth headsets. Additionally, incorporating the antenna into the headsets has required extra components, resulting in an increased bill-of-materials and higher costs.

Using its patented fractal antenna technologies, Fractus has designed an internal FM antenna that offers reduced size, simple integration into a device and an excellent level of performance in terms of gain and efficiency. The antenna has been produced using low cost surface-mounted technology (SMT), eliminating the need for new manufacturing processes or materials.

FracFM is 50 ohm terminated, linear polarized and omnidirectional - as well as RoHS compliant.

Samples and demo boards are available upon request.

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About Fractus
Fractus designs and manufactures miniature and multi-band antennas for wireless applications that are easy to integrate, cost-effective and provide high performance. Using the unique space-filling and multi-level properties of fractals, Fractus antennas are used in mobile phones, wireless consumer electronics using Bluetooth®, WLAN and UWB, and base stations. Fractus holds an IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) portfolio of 50 inventions protected through 140 patents and patent applications. Its technology is applied globally in Samsung, Sagem, ST Microelectronics, Atheros Communications, CSR and NXP Semiconductors devices.  For more information please visit www.fractus.com.

 

Press/Analyst Contacts:
Fractus
Gemma Montesinos
Tel: +34 935 442 690
gemma.montesinos@fractus.com

AxiCom PR
Paula Muezerie
Tel: +44 20 8392 4081
paula.muezerie@axicom.com

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