An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plication s
1
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415 Product Specification
1 Features
• GPS antenna designed for embedded applications
• Small size and light weight (0.5g)
• High performance
• Upward hemispherical RHCP pattern
• Simple matching circuit tuning
• W orks in many different positions in the device
• No extra mechanical support required
2 Description
Acuta GPS antenna is an innovative high performance GPS antenna designed to replace
ceramic patc h antennas, reduce development costs and improve time-to-market – all
without compromising performance. The very slim A10415 allows a substantial reduction in
the minimum thickness of the host device compared to a solution using a 12x12mm²
ceramic patc h antenna.
Acuta is intended to be mounted at the edge of the host PCB facing the sky, in a similar
way to a conventional patch antenna, whi c h g ener ates an al m os t hemis p her i cal radia t ion
pattern towards the sky - achieving optimal GPS performance.
Acuta GPS antenna is intended for reception of GPS signals at 1575 MHz and is easily
tuned using a simple matching circuit on the host PCB, allowing the same antenna to be
used in different devices without physical modifications. The antenna is soldered directly
onto the host PCB, without the need of expensive coaxial cables, RF connectors or
mounting frames, significantly reducing the total BOM of the GPS solution.
The antenna uses a ground plane in order to radiate efficiently, which should be at least
30 x 30 mm.
3 Applications
• Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs)
• GPS Trackers
• Mobile phones/ Smart phones
• Notebooks / Tablets / eReaders
• M2M
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
4 Part number Acuta: A1 0 415
(Bottom Vie w)
5 General data
6 Electrical characteristics
Typical performance Reference
Board A10415-U1
Conditions
Bandwidth (Typical)
30 MHz at –10 dB Return Loss
All data measured on Antenova’s
reference board, part number
A10415-U1
Data given for the
1573.42 – 1577.42 MH z
frequency range
Peak gai n (L inear)
+0.4 dB
Average gain (Linear)
-2.2 dB
Average efficiency (Linear)
60%
Peak gain (RHCP)
-1.0 dB
Average gain (RHCP)
-3.9dB
Average efficiency (RHCP)
40%
Maximum Return Loss
-10 dB
Maximum VSWR
2:1
Product name
Acuta
Part Number
A10415
Frequency
GPS - 1575 MHz
Polarization
Linear
Operating temperature
-40 ºC to +85 ºC
Impedance with matching
50 Ω
Weight
0.5 g
Antenna type
Metal
Dimensions (LxWxH)
25.0 x 5.0 x 4.3 [mm] (Effective)
29.6 x 5.0 x 6.8 [mm] (Total)
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
7 Electrical performance
7-1 Return Loss (with matching circuit)
Reference Board A10415-U1
7-2 VSWR (with matching circuit)
Reference Board A10415 -U1
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
∇
1
∇
2
[MHz]
mtool5
Marker 1: 1565MHz
Marker 2: 1585MHz
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
∇
1
∇
2
[MHz]
[dB]
mtool5
Marker 1: 1565MHz
Marker 2: 1585MHz
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
7-3 Antenna pat te rn s 1575MHz
-35
-25
-15
-5
5
0°
90°
180°
270°
Radial Scale: dBi
TOTAL (RHCP+LHCP)
RHCP ONLY
XY Plane
A10415-U1 Ref Board
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
-35
-25
-15
-5
5
0°
90°
180°
270°
Radial Scale: dBi
-35
-25
-15
-5
5
0°
90°
180°
270°
Radial Scale: dBi
TOTAL (RHCP+LHCP)
RHCP ONLY
TOTAL (RHCP+LHCP)
RHCP ONLY
XZ Plane
ZY Plane
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
8 Antenna dim e n sions
L1 L2 W H1 H2 H3
Length1 Length2 Width Height1 Height2 Height3
29.6. ± 0.2 25.0 ± 0.2 5.0 ± 0.2 6.8 ± 0.15 4.0 ± 0.15 0.3 ± 0.1
Dimensions in mm
Front View
Side View
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
9 Antenna fo ot pr i nt
GPS Antenna (Part No: A10415)
A B C D E F G J K M
1.4 1.2 5.1 19.5 0.8 23.9 0.3 2.0 0.2 1.5
Dimensions in mm. Tolerances for all dimensions on this table are ± 0.1 mm.
* CAD files of the antenna footprint are available from Antenova M2M on request.
Please contact sales@antenova-m2m.com for further details.
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
10 Electrical interface
10-1 Transmission lines
• All transmission lines should be designed to have a characteristic impedance of 50 Ω
• The length of the transmission lines should be kept to a minimum
• Any other parts of the RF system like transceivers, power amplifiers, etc, should also be
designed to have an impedance of 50 Ω
Once the material f or the PCB has been chosen (PCB thickness and dielectric constant), a co-
planar transmission line can easily be designed using any of the commercial software
packages for transmission line design. For the chosen PCB thickness, copper thickness and
substrate dielectric constant, the program will calculate the appropriate transmission line width
and gaps on either side of the track so the characteristic impedance of the coplanar
transmission line is 50 Ω.
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
10-2 Matching circuit
The A10415 antenna is designed to resonate at a frequency slightly higher than the GPS band,
and a matching circuit is required to tune the antenna to the exact frequency; in this way the
antenna can be used in many different devices just by changing the matching circuit.
The matching circuit typically required just two passive components (inductors/capacitors);
however, a three component PI-network like the one in the picture below is recommended for
safe-proofing. The matching circuit must be placed as close as possible to the feed pin of the
antenna.
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
In a typical application, the following values for the components could be used as a starting
point in the matching process:
Designator Value
L1 6.8nH
C1 1.0pF
L2 Not fitted
Use of reasonable high Q inductors (e.g. Murata LQW15 series) is recommended for the
inductors; as typically t he value of the series capacitor is quite small, t he use of tight tolerance
capacitors is recommended.
Note: The component values for the matching circuit will vary depending on how close
to the antenna the device’s plastic case is, the size of the host PCB and surrounding
components. The impedance of the antenna should be measured before selecting suitable
matching components. Antenova M2M off ers this service on request. Contact sales@antenova-
m2m.com for further informat i on.
A1
C1
L1
L2
50 Ω line to GPS Receiver
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
10-3 Antenna placement
The A10415 is designed to give optimal performance when mounted along the top-edge of t he
device PCB, facing the sky during the normal use scenario. Recommended position is
indicated on the Acuta reference board A10415-U1 (shown below).
However, the antenna can also work well when placed in other locations in the device. Please
contact Antenova M2M FAE for recommendations about alternative antenna placements or
unusual use scenarios.
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
10-4 Reference board
The reference board has been designed for evaluation purposes of the Acuta GPS antenna
and comes fitted with a SMA female connector. The A10415-U1 reference board also allows
testing of the antenna in f ive different mounting positions.
A10415-U1
Dimensions in mm
Contact sales@antenova-m2m.com for further details
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
11 Soldering
The antenna is designed for hand-soldering; reflow soldering must not be used at it could damage
the antenna.
This antenna is suitable for lead free soldering.
12 Hazardous material regulation conformance
The antenna has been tested to conform to RoHS requirements. A certificate of
conformance is available from Antenova M2M’s website.
13 Packaging
13-1 Optimal storage conditi ons for pac ka ged tr ays
Temperature -10ºC to 40ºC
Humidity Less than 75% RH
Shelf Li fe 18 Months
Storage place Away from corrosive gas and direct sunlight
Packaging Trays should be stored in unopened sealed
manufacturer’s boxes.
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
13-2 Tray characteristics
Acuta
LT WT DT Wall T Quantity
330 ± 2.0 229 ± 2.0 12 ± 1.0 0.7 ± 0.1 100 pcs/tray
Dimensions in mm
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
13-3 Box dimensions
LB WB DB Quantity
370 240 100 1000 pcs/box
Dimensions in mm
Acuta Standard GPS Antenna
Part No. A10415
An tennas for W i reless M2M Ap plications
Product Specific ati on 11MD-0041-3-PS
www.antenova-m2m.com
Corporate Headquarters
Antenova Ltd.
Far Field House
Albert Road
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Cambridge
CB25 9AR
Tel: +44 1223 810600
Fax: +44 1223 810650
Email: sales@antenova-m2m.com
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Antenova Ltd.
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Elgin, IL 60124
Tel: +1 (847) 551 9710
Fax +1 (847) 551 9719
Email: sales@antenova-m2m.com
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Antenova Asia Ltd.
4F, No. 324, Sec. 1, Nei-Hu Road
Nei-Hu Dis tr ic t
Taipei 11493
Taiwan, ROC
Tel: +886 (0) 2 8797 8630
Fax: +886 (0) 2 8797 6890
Email: sales@antenova-m2m.com
Copyright® 2013 Antenova Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Antenova®, Antenova M2M, gigaNOVA®, and the
Antenova and Antenova M2M logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Antenova Ltd. Any other
names and/or trademarks belong to their respective companies.
The materials provided herein are believed to be reliable and correct at the time of print. Antenova does not
warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics or other items contained within these
information. Antenova further assumes no responsibility for the use of this information, and all such
information shall be entirely at the user’s risk.
Release Date 07 February 2013