Improved Antenna to revolutionise mobile battery life
January 31, 2009 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
Atif Shamim, an electronics PhD student at Carleton University, has built a prototype that extends the battery life of mobile phones, by getting rid of all the wires used to connect the electronic circuits with the antenna.
The invention involves a packaging technique to connect the antenna with the circuits via a wireless connection between a micro-antenna embedded within the circuits on the chip.
“This has not been tried before - that the circuits are connected to the antenna wirelessly. They’ve been connected through wires and a bunch of other components. That’s where the power gets lost,” Mr. Shamim said.
He estimates his module consumes 12 times less power than the traditional, wired-transmitter module. It is also much simpler in design, lowering the overall cost of any hand-held device, he said.
Mr. Shamim has filed patent applications in the U.S. and in Canada.
Earlier this year, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation honoured Mr. Shamim and Mr. Arsalan as student researchers of the year for their work in the field of wireless biomedical sensors.
Shamim says his major goals for the innovation still lie in biomedical applications, including his original radiation sensors as well as remote healthcare sensors to monitor heart-rate, blood pressure and body temperature. He and Arsalan have also started up a company called Vital Signs Monitoring, and the two have already filed patents for the technology they developed. Clearly he has come a long way from when he first came to Canada, but he says his goals are still the same.
“My aim when I came here was to get some real skills in this domain, learn some new things and be an expert of something that would be valuable for me to find employment,” said Shamim. “I was looking for a neat application for these small transmitters. …That’s where the trend is: make it cheaper, smaller, more efficient, so I think this is a good step towards that.”
3GPP Earthquake and Tsunami Warning service (ETWS)
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Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Service: is a service that delivers Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Notifications provided by Warning Notification Providers to the UEs which have the capability of receiving Warning Notifications within Notification Areas through the 3GPP network.
Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System: is a subsystem of Public Warning System that delivers Warning Notifications specific to Earthquake and Tsunami provided by Warning Notification Providers to the UEs which have the capability of receiving Warning Notifications within Notification Areas through the 3GPP network.
Earthquake and Tsunami Warning service is provided to users by PLMN operators. Warning Notification Providers produce Warning Notification to PLMN operator when an event occurs e.g. an Earthquake. PLMN operators distribute Warning Notifications to users by utilizing ETWS.
The ETWS consists of the PLMN that is capable to deliver Warning Notification and the UEs that are capable to receive Warning Notification. A Warning Notification Provider is able to send Warning Notification to the users in Notification Area by activating ETWS. Warning Notification is classified into two types depending on the purpose and urgency of the notification.
The first type of Notification is called Primary Notification. This type of notification delivers the most important information of the threat that is approaching to users (e.g. the imminent occurrence of Earthquake or Tsunami). The notification shall be delivered to the users as soon as possible.
The second type of Notification is called Secondary Notification. This type of notification delivers additional information, such as instructions on what to do / where to get help as long as the emergency lasts.
More Information at 3GPP TS 22.168: Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) requirements; Stage 1.
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Nokia feels the pinch due to credit crunch
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Nokia Corp., the world’s largest maker of mobile phones, reported Thursday a 69% drop in fourth-quarter profit as demand for its handsets fell sharply during the key holiday season, particularly in China, and as it lost market share in the lucrative high-end segment.
The European tech bellwether also lowered its dividend, slashed its 2009 forecast of global demand for phones and said it would cut roughly 1,000 jobs to keep a lid on expenses.
The results mark a reversal of fortune for the Finnish company, which earlier this year seemed to have all but crushed even its nearest competitor with its stronghold on emerging markets, efficient cost control and extraordinary distribution power.
Quarterly sales declined 19% to 12.66 billion euros, missing forecasts calling for a top line of 13 billion euros, as demand for phones dropped sharply.
The number of handsets shipped in the latest three months fell 15% to 113.1 million units. Sequentially, shipments slipped 4% — an unusual development considering the fourth quarter is customarily the strongest one for phone makers.
Phone makers have been suffering in the past few months as consumers rein in their discretionary spending. In developed markets, many are delaying replacing their old mobile phones. In emerging markets, handset users often simply aren’t buying new ones.
Underscoring this, Sony Ericsson, the phone-making joint venture of Japan’s Sony Corp. (SNE) and Sweden’s L.M. Ericsson (ERICY), posted its second straight quarterly loss last week and warned the market would deteriorate further in 2009.
Also last week, Motorola Inc. (MOT) said it would report a fourth-quarter loss and slash 4,000 jobs after its sales collapsed over the holiday season.
And on Thursday, Nokia lowered its outlook for global industry mobile-device volumes, saying it now expects them to fall 10% in 2009, compared to an earlier forecast of a 5% drop.
The projected decline would be sharper in the first half than in the second half, with volumes dropping more sharply than is customary between the fourth and the first quarter, Nokia said.
Higher profile for digital mapping
Among Nokia’s individual divisions, the handset business suffered the most, with sales down 27% to 8.1 billion euros. The sharpest decline in the number of handsets shipped happened in China, which registered a 36% drop, followed by the Middle East and Africa, with a 23% fall.
Nokia estimated its market share at 37% in the quarter, down from 40% a year ago and 38% in the third quarter. It said it lost ground in the Middle East and Africa, North America and China. It also lost ground in the high-end, smart- phone category, which worried investors.
Nevertheless the phone maker said it expects to maintain its market share at 37% in the first quarter.
The average selling price of a Nokia handset slipped to 71 euros from 72 euros in the third quarter, even though many new handsets, such as the 5800 XpressMusic, hit the shelves in time for Christmas. The decline put pressure on gross margins, which narrowed to 33.8% from 36.5% in the third quarter.
The division’s operating profit decreased 70%, to 766 million euros, in the latest quarter.
At the Nokia Siemens networks joint venture, sales fell 5% to 4.3 billion euros.
The division, half owned by Siemens (SI) of Germany, achieved most of its targeted cost savings but reported an operating loss of 179 million euros while it broke even in the same period last year.
At the Navteq digital mapping business, sales jumped 31% sequentially to 205 million euros. The unit’s operating loss shrank to 73 million euros from 80 million euros in the third quarter.
Brazilian government to publish 3G bidding rules soon
Brazil’s telecoms regulator Anatel expects to publish bidding rules for an auction of 3G spectrum later this month, local press quoted the watchdog’s president Ronaldo Sardenberg as saying.
Anatel published proposals for the bidding rules earlier this year and in mid-August started studying feedback from sector players. Anatel’s private services director Jarbas Valente hinted on September 26 the regulator’s licensing team was very close to delivering a draft of the 3G bidding rules to the watchdog board.
Due to board members’ schedules there will not be a full meeting until October 9 and the problem is that any board member can ask for a revision of the document, which would take an extra week, according to Sardenberg.
Some operators have said they aim to launch 3G services over existing spectrum and are likely to do so before Anatel auctions the official 3G spectrum, in the 1900MHz and 2100MHz bands.
These operators include Telemig and América Móvil, which plan to launch the service over the 850MHz spectrum that they already have.
Claro’s 850MHz system is ready and just needs to interconnect with other networks, but the firm needs to know 3G operating rules spelled out in the 1900MHz and 2100MHz bidding rules before it can launch, Claro president Joao Cox was quoted as saying this week. Telemig’s 3G network has been ready since August.
In fact, local papers are convinced that Anatel is under pressure from other operators - Vivo , TIM Brasil and Brasil Telecom - to prevent Telemig and Claro from launching 3G.
According to Telemig president André Mastrobuono, Anatel has yet to authorize activation of the transmission towers, despite having approved other equipment and operating licenses. Anatel has not given a clear explanation, merely citing “regulatory doubts.”
Satellite based Mobile Internet of the future
Background: The current US military satellite communications network represents decades-old technology. To meet the heightened demands of national security in the coming years, newer and more powerful systems are being developed.
Advances in information technology are fundamentally changing the way military conflicts are resolved. The ability to transmit detailed information quickly and reliably to and from all parts of the globe will help streamline military command and control and ensure information superiority, enabling faster deployment of highly mobile forces capable of adapting quickly to changing conditions in the field. Satellite communications play a pivotal role in providing the interoperable, robust, “network-centric” communications needed for future operations.
Military satellite communications (or milsatcom) systems are typically categorized as wideband, protected, or narrowband. Wideband systems emphasize high capacity. Protected systems stress antijam features, covertness, and nuclear survivability. Narrowband systems emphasize support to users who need voice or low-data-rate communications and who also may be mobile or otherwise disadvantaged (because of limited terminal capability, antenna size, environment, etc.).
For wideband communication needs, the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite program and the Advanced Wideband System will augment and eventually replace the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS). These satellites will transmit several gigabits of data per second—up to ten times the data flow of the satellites being replaced. Protected communications will be addressed by a global extremely high frequency (EHF) system, composed of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency System and Advanced Polar System. These systems are expected to provide about ten times the capacity of current protected satellites (the Milstar satellites). Narrowband needs are supported by the UFO (Ultrahigh-frequency Follow-On) constellation, which will be replaced by a component of the Advanced Narrowband System
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Hughes Space and Communications and TRW have formed a National Team to build the Department of Defense’s (DOD) next generation of highly secure communication satellites known as the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system.
The Advanced EHF programme provides the follow-on capability to the Milstar satellite programme. It provides the basis for the next generation military communications satellite system, for survivable, jam-resistant, worldwide, secure, communications for the strategic and tactical warfighter. The system replenishes the Milstar constellation in the EHF band.
Each of these Advanced EHF satellites employs more than 50 communications channels via multiple, simultaneous downlinks. Launch of the first AEHF satellite is planned for April 2008 with the second AEHF satellite scheduled for launch in April 2009.
The fully operational Advanced EHF constellation will consist of four crosslinked satellites, providing coverage of the Earth from 65° north latitude to 65° south. These satellites will provide more data throughput capability and coverage flexibility to regional and global military operations than ever before. The fifth satellite built could be used as a spare or launched to provide additional capability to the envisioned constellation.
Current Status: After being plagued with project overruns and a scaling back of the final system, the US military’s next generation satellite communications network is another step closer to reality, with completion of the payload module for the third and final Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) satellite.
Although the EHF band is a relatively lightly used part of the electromagnetic spectrum (30-300 GHz), it is for good reason. Atmospheric attenuation is the biggest problem faced in this band, especially around 60 GHz, however the frequencies are viable for short distance terrestrial based communication links, such as microwave Internet and telecommunication links (which already operate in this band). Millimetre wave radar, probably best known as the radar that can see through your clothes but not your skin, also operates in this band.
Designed to avoid problematic frequencies that are more susceptible to attenuation, but accepting increased overall atmospheric attenuation, are an increasing number of military and civil satellite systems that are using this band for uplink and downlink, as well as inter-satellite communication. Inter-satellite communication is really where EHF equipment shines (no atmosphere, small antennas, high data rates).
Civilian systems are currently around the Ku band (Intelsat), providing data rates of up to 2-4 Mbps (14 GHz uplink, 12 GHz downlink) however these rates have still to trickle into everyday user’s hands for remote and mobile Internet access. It is more common that an aggregator will access this link/rate and use that to then portion out local Internet access. Systems such as this are in use for remote Australian territories like Cocos and Christmas Islands, and formed the backbone of Boeing’s stillborn Connexion in-flight Internet access. High ongoing access costs (basically a share of the overall cost of the satellite) and limited access slots help keep the technology away from everyday use at this time. Militaries and governments around the globe also lease access on these circuits when they need the added capability, with Intelsat and Inmarsat systems being used in the first Gulf War.
Advanced EHF is designed to provide 24 hour coverage from 65 North, to 65 South across the K and Ka sub bands, and when combined with the prototyped Extended Data Rate (XDR) terminals and systems, will offer up to 8.2 Mbps data rates for around 4,000 terminals in concurrent use per satellite footprint (whether that scales to 12,000 systems in concurrent use globally isn’t clear from source material).
Within the tri-satellite constellation, inter-satellite EHF links will allow terminals on opposite sides of the globe to communicate in near real-time without the use of a terrestrial link. Combined with smaller, directional antennas and the various options for anti-jamming technology, it represents a significant military capability for the US.
Already plans are being drawn up for the Transformational Satellite Communications System (T-Sat) which will replace Advanced EHF starting sometime in 2013, however it is already facing funding troubles. This could be problematic, with Advanced EHF still struggling to reach capability and the final launch not scheduled until April 2010. Dropping the fourth satellite of the Advanced EHF constellation has been planned to give the USAF time to implement T-Sat more rapidly.
If GPS and remote imaging (think Google Earth) have proven anything, it is that technology initially developed for military purposes, and extremely expensive for initial civil use, will eventually reach the point where it forms part of our daily lives without us ever being conscious of the massive investment to get to that point.