Mitsubishi Electric develops new technology for inflight connectivity

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company, has reportedly announced that it, in collaboration with NICT (national Institute of Information and Communications Technology) of Japan, has developed technology for AESA (active electronically steered array antenna) Ka band, which is worlds thinnest; that has a profile that is less than three cm, to facilitate highspeed inflight connectivity through satellites at data rates that go beyond 100 Mbps.

The company also revealed that it has also created the antenna elements and, in partnership with Tohoku University as well as Tohoku MicroTec Co., created a RF-IC (radio-frequency integrated circuit) for an envisaged AESA millimeter-wave V-band that would be efficient in delivering inflight connectivity at more faster speeds.

The new Ka-band AESA of Mitsubishi Electric is thin as well as small enough to be mounted in any aircraft, irrespective of its size, it could also operate at high altitudes, allowing passengers to enjoy streaming and other internet services with high-speed on flights across the globe. The company plans to commercialize its Ka-band AESA and V-band AESA after testing and demonstrations after 2023 and 2027 respectively. 

Conventionally bulky antennas used for satellite communication cannot be easily integrated into midsize and small aircrafts due to the space needed for the antennas as well as devices that mechanically drive them.

This issue has been resolved by Mitsubishi by integrating antenna elements that are newly developed by NICT and RF divider/combiner and RF-ICs of Mitsubishi Electric, and then joining them in an extra-thin Ka-band AESA which is of thinner than three centimeters.

The new Ka-band RF-IC of Mitsubishi Electric also features a high-power amplifier displaying an exceptional 29.1% power-added efficiency, which is 1.8 times that of the current RF-IC developed by Mitsubishi Electric.

Mitsubishi’s next-gen V-band AESA, radio-frequency integrated circuits are being reduced in size in an effort to array at intervals that are narrower than those in case of Ka-band AESA.

 

Source credit: https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/news/2020/0206.html