Taoglas (News - Alert) has unveiled a new breed of GPS antenna called AP.35a, which can be embedded into any device made for tracking vehicles and assets. The 5.5 mm thick antenna, made from high-grade ceramic, eliminates the need for an external antenna.

Taoglas says the antenna can hover over the main-board of the device allowing for a much higher gain and resistance to noise than existing passive patch antennas. In addition, it does not take up valuable board space.

Combining high-zenith gain and low-axial ratio, Taoglas says, the antenna can pick up very weak signals at low elevation satellites, giving the greatest GPS sensitivity. A SAW filter reduces noise entering from the device system, important when considering the close proximity of cellular transmitters and circuitry in today's miniature devices.

These results combined lead to quicker cold starts and more accurate position and location information. With a cold start of 21 seconds in open sky conditions with the uBlox 5 module, testing has confirmed that the AP.35a cuts up to five seconds off the market cold-start performance of Taoglas' existing antenna the AP.25B. Max C/N ratio of 51 with 12 simultaneous locked satellites has been recorded over 24 hours, an improvement from ten.

Taoglas has also launched the Active Loop Antenna, or “ALA,” series, the lowest profile active antenna solution for M2M devices that need a slim profile.

What's more, Taoglas also unveiled the ALA series technology in its GPS antenna range. The first product in the range, the ALA.01 at 45mm*10mm*2.3mm is the lowest profile active antenna solution for the M2M market. Omni-directional and lightweight, this is a great antenna for devices which must have a slim profile. This GPS antenna can be placed perpendicular to the main-board with a couple of millimeters of clearance and still deliver performance comparable to an active 18mm patch antenna.